I Am Alpha
by Life Element
Summary: There's a reason Derek was the one to kill the alpha, but sometimes fate doesn't give a damn.
1. Chapter 1

Derek stood over his charred uncle trying to savor the moment. He was fully prepared to finish what he started, but something in the alpha's eyes irked him. He took a deep breath and tried to remember the times before his uncle was a psychotic murderer, before their family burned alive in their own home. Before he murdered his sister to become alpha. _Why was he thinking about this instead of ripping the man to shreds?_

"Wait Derek!" He growled, turning his head just enough so he could see Scott in his peripheral.

Scott took that as his cue to continue "You said that the cure comes from the one that bit you. Derek, if you kill him, then I'm dead" ok, he admitted that that was a little dramatic. "Allison, her parents. What am I going to do?" he felt his hope waning when Derek didn't respond to his plea, but he kept staring at him defiantly, waiting for…something.

Derek stared at him a little longer before returning his gaze to his uncle. The alpha's breathing was worse now, but there was no mistaking the smile on his face.

"You've…already…decided" he choked out. His smile grew, exposing white teeth against charred skin, irking Derek even more.

"What are you waiting for?" The beta growled, stepping away from the injured wolf and turning towards the teen. "Get this over with"

Scott's eyes lit up with so many emotions, gratitude probably the most noticeable, that he tried to convey to the other wolf as he quickly moved to stand over the alpha. He almost flinched when he looked directly down at the injured man, but he couldn't step down now. _He wouldn't_. If he didn't do this, then he couldn't go back to the life he had before. _The girl he loved_. Scott slowly lifted his hand, feeling his claws slip out and the burn of his eyes glowing. He had to do this, for his future. He didn't waist another second as he brought his claws down slicing through the alpha's throat and flinched at the feel of it and the failed breathe of the dying man, but it was over. He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face in the ringing silence as he stood triumphantly over the corpse. Too happy to finally have his life back to think about how he just killed someone.

"So, it's over right? No more psychotic wolf man ripping people apart?" Stiles asked from a few feet away, partly behind a tree, but no one answered him. At least not that Scott could hear.

The ringing in his head grew in volume until it felt like his head would explode. He yelped in pain and covered his ears, but it didn't help. A heat started to burn in his chest, spreading throughout his body before setting him ablaze in pain. He fell forward and onto his knees, clutching at his head and screaming for all he's worth.

Allison was moving before she even knew what was happening, but Chris was quick to grab her and pull her back towards the tree line. "Let go! We have to help him! Scott!" she struggled to get out of her father's hold with no success.

Stile also moved to help his friend, but Derek growled at him "We have to help him De-" he started to argue, but stopped when he noticed the other had transformed and was circling behind his friend. "What are you doing?!"

"Leave!" was the only response he got as Derek continued to loop around the teen.

Stiles and Allison began to protest, unwilling to leave their friend alone and suffering. Chris was slowly pulling his daughter towards the cars and Stiles was grounded to his spot, too afraid of Derek to approach his friend and unwilling to leave him. Jackson had no such problem as he quickly made his way over to his car.

A strangled roar brought their attention back to the teen now lying flat on the ground. Scott couldn't hear anything but his overwhelming pulse that sent bolts of pain throughout his entire body. He roared as more pain shot through him. His sight blurred and he smacked his face into the ground. The next roar made everyone back up from not just the volume, but the inhuman beast entwined with it.

Mr. Argent had enough for one night. He threw his daughter over his shoulder and quickly moved to his car. Allison didn't protest, too focused on the site before her. Scott's body was shifting, clothes tearing and dark coarse hair growing to cover his skin. He lifted his head out of the dirt as his face was consumed by hair and he locked eyes with her. Glowing blood red eyes.

"Go now!" Derek yelled, finally startling Stiles into motion and he quickly ran to Jackson's car that the teen had already started up.

Scott's eyes followed him, but he didn't get the chance to follow before Derek was on his back, arms wrapped tightly around his throat and fangs buried in his neck. He howled, more from indignation than actual pain and began to thrash in an attempt to dislodge the older wolf from his back.

Allison watched as Derek moved just enough for Scott to grab ahold of him and fling him away before her Dad floored it. "What's wrong with him!?"

"He's an alpha now" Allison swung around in her seat and Chris could see the worry and confusion clear in her watery eyes. "Killing an alpha transfers their status to the other wolf. It's how they maintain balance"

"But Scott said something about a cure-"

"There is no cure for what they are! Scott just moved up on the food chain and lost all control" he yelled, looking over at her to make sure she understood how serious this was.

Allison couldn't meet his gaze and looked out ahead, visibly flinching back "Dad! Look out!"

He slammed into something before he could react, but the car never stopped. He looked ahead through his cracked windshield at the red eyed beast growling at him and paled. Instinct took over and he swerved, trying to throw the wolf off, but Scott held on. He growled defiantly and smashed his open muzzle into the glass, breaking it further.

"Dad!"

"I know!" He swerved again, but Scott refused to budge.

He reared his head back, ready to smack through the glass, but something latched onto the back of his head and turned him away. Allison couldn't put into words how relieved she was when Derek climb up the back of the Alpha and wrapped around his neck. Scott wasn't so thrilled and began to thrash around to remove the beta and when that didn't work, he reached around to pull him off, but Derek made sure to stay out of reach.

Chris didn't wait to see how the struggle would end and swerved again, much harder. The car tilted on two wheels a short distance before falling back onto all fours, successfully throwing the wolves off the hood. Allison turned in her seat trying to see where they landed, but they had already vanished in the dark.

Scott landed hard on his side, nearly flattening Derek underneath him, but managed to stop his decent with his arm. Derek grunted in pain and tried to get up, but the alpha stopped him. Scott roared at the beta, bearing his fangs angrily. Derek returned the gesture and tried to push the transformed wolf off of him. Scott roared again, eyes flashing a brighter shade of red. He reached down and grabbed a fistful of Derek's clothes, claws easily tearing through the fabrics and into soft skin.

Derek growled at the pain and held his glare with the bigger wolf, eyes glowing nearly white in defiance. Scott growled and-to Derek's surprise-glared back before lifting the beta off the ground. Derek yelp in pain as long sharp claws tore more of his flesh and his eyes returned to their normal green. He struggled, more to alleviate the pain then to break free, and grabbed hold of the paw that held him up for some sort of support. Scott watched un-amused as the beta struggled before throwing him to the side.

Derek slid to a stop and took a moment to adjust to the pain before trying to get up. A growl caused him to stop and instead he rolled over to face the alpha. He hadn't moved an inch, standing at his full height and just staring down at Derek, waiting. Derek pushed himself off the ground, ignoring the increasing growls as he stood. Scott waited until Derek looked up as at him before attacking. He was in front of the other before he could react and threw him again, this time into a tree. Derek hit the ground hard before he was thrown into another tree and then the ground with no time to recover.

The alpha was pleased when Derek made no attempt to get up-or move-and laid on the ground, slowly transforming back. Derek didn't try to move, pain radiating from all over his body as the world around him blurred. The next moment Scott was staring down at him, one paw on his chest keeping him pressed to the ground as he leaned down with his teeth bared and growling.

Despite the situation, Derek growled back, refusing to submit to the wolf above him. Scott's eyes flared angrily, but he didn't act on it. He could see the beta reverting to human form and leaned down, sniffing around his neck and growling lightly. Derek growled again, but was ignored as the alpha continued to sniff him. He couldn't do anything about it now if he had wanted. His body felt as heavy as stone and his vision was quickly fading out. He felt licking around his face and neck, accompanied by purring, but couldn't tell if it was from the alpha or himself before passing out.

* * *

Not bad for someone who hasn't written in a...ridiculous amount of time. Let me know how I did please, so I can improve my work. Or you can just drop a comment, I love reading them :)


	2. Chapter 2

Stiles quietly pulled into the school parking lot on Monday. He couldn't believe that he had left his best friend-and Derek-in the woods and was too afraid to go back and see what had happened to them. _Maybe he calmed down and is out there whining about how Alison hates him. Or maybe he was still eating Derek._

"Oh God" he didn't want to picture his best friend eating anyone, but it made perfect sense. Why else wouldn't Derek have contacted him? _Because he thinks you're a hyper active idiot. _Sometimes he hated his subconscious. His thoughts were interrupted when Alison popped out of nowhere and gave him a hug.

"Have you heard anything?"

He wrapped his hands loosely around her "No, he might still be eating Derek"

Alison immediately stepped back and looked at him horrified "Why would you say something like that?!"

Stiles twitched nervously "Uh…you're right! Derek's a tough guy, I'm sure he got away or something" he tried to smile reassuringly.

Alison didn't know how to feel about Stiles' rambling, but she gave him a small smile before walking into school. Stiles flailed a bit in dismay before following after her. "So what do we do now?"

Stiles shrugged "Don't know. We could go back to Derek's place, but what would we do if Scott's still out of control?"

"Maybe we could reason with him?" If Stiles expression was good for anything, than her suggestion wasn't such a good idea.

"Or" Stiles began, still giving his friend the-_are you stupid_-look. "We could try and find Derek"

"And that'll help us how?"

Stiles shrugged and readjusted his backpack strap "I don't know. Maybe he'll know how to bring Scott out of it since he's been a werewolf all his life" Alison just stared at him with mild disbelief on her face. "What? There's gotta be some perks for a pure breed"

Alison shrugged and looked ahead. She couldn't really argue with his logic since she only found out about werewolves a few days ago. _And you practically jumped at the chance to kill one, smooth._ "Ok, we have a plan. All we have to do is get through the school day"

Stiles actually laughed at that as they reached their classroom "Yeah, God forbid we have a normal day at school" Alison didn't respond and instead stared wide eyed into the classroom. Stiles was a little miffed about that, but quietly turned to see what she was looking at. Sitting in his usual spot at the center of the room was Scott McCall. Stiles felt his jaw drop and didn't bother to fix it. He was just too surprised to care who was staring at him.

"Yeah, God forbid" Alison whispered next to him. _Sometimes I hate myself._

The day actually went by quickly. Stiles and Alison spent most of it trying to talk to Scott. She gave up after the second teacher warning, but Stiles pressed on. By the end of the day, he had earned a week worth of detention and still hadn't managed to speak with his friend. _I'm beginning to think he's ignoring me._

"Well, at least we don't have to find Derek" Alison stated as they watched Scott walk out of school.

Stiles nodded in agreement. He really didn't want to go looking for the beta. _Or what's left of him._ "Why do you think he hasn't spoken to us?"

"Maybe he's mad that we left him in the woods"

Stiles turned in time to see how upset that made her before she hid it with curiosity. "Me, maybe. You, never. He'd be too happy that you were alive to be mad"

She flashed a quick smile, letting him know she appreciated the comment before letting it drop. "So, what now?"

"Now I'm gonna get some answers" he said before running out the doors and to his car. It wasn't long before he caught up with Scott, who was casually walking back home and began the routine. "Hey Scott!" No response. "What, no bike today?" Nothing. _He's really ignoring me._ "Here doggy, doggy!" That one earned him a glance of distain, but his friend remained silent. "Oh come on! I'll just keep bothering you until you talk to me" still nothing, but he could see the slight upturn of Scott's mouth before he took off down the block at an unnatural speed. _Damn dog._

He floored it, focusing on the road since he already knew where he was going. He pulled in front of the McCall residence just in time to see Scott walking to his door.

"Scott, wait!" He yelled as he fumbled to get out of his car. He sprinted across the front lawn and reached out to grab the wolf, but Mrs. McCall stepped in the way as soon as Scott cleared the door.

"Stiles" Melissa addressed him with a nod

Stiles flinched back and flailed briefly before resting his hands impatiently on the door frame. "H-Hey Ms. McCall. I just need to talk to Scott about somethin-"

"No"

Stiles shut his mouth and just looked at her. Blinking once…twice…"No?"

"No" Melissa smiled at him "You're going to go home and leave Scott to his responsibilities that he's been ignoring for far too long" she added, turning him around and pushing him away from the door. "And tell Allison too"

Stiles turned around to argue, but she had already shut the door. _Good job Stiles, what now?_ He was saved from anymore brainstorming when his phone range. He quickly fished it out of his pocket and accepted the call without seeing who was calling. "Hello"

"Stiles" _Allison_. "Did you talk with Scott?"

Stiles glance back at the house "No, but I still have a few ideas-"

"Try them later. You need to get to my house"

"Wait, what? Why?!"

"You'll see when you get here" she didn't elaborate before hanging up.

Stiles shoved his phone back in his pocket and glance at the house again. "Ok, you win this time, but I'll be back and…more annoying than ever!" he pointed threateningly at the house. Anyone passing by would've thought him crazy for yelling at a house, but thankfully the street was empty. _You need a hobby Stiles. _He turned and walked to his jeep.

Melissa walked into her kitchen to find her son smiling down at his homework. "Is something funny?" he only shook his head and kept working. She leaned against the door frame and just watched him with a fond smile "So how long do I get to enjoy this?"

"Enjoy what?"

"My son being responsible instead of making me worry all the time"

He stopped working and looked up at her, a sweet smile on his face "Does that mean you're not worrying about me? Right now?"

Melissa opened her moth to respond, but no words came out she tried again with the same results. She was always worried about her son. Scott's smile grew into a full grin as he watched his mother flounder for a response. _ And he knew it._

"Don't worry mom. I'm going to keep doing this" he patted his text book and smiled warmly. "There's just going to be more…house guess than usual"

"As long as they don't stop you from doing schoolwork…or mess up the house" she added the last one with a glare. Scott just nodded and went back to work. Melissa didn't even have time to relax before the doorbell rang. "I guess that's one now"

"Don't worry. We're going to finish our homework together before heading out"

She had a question on the tip of her tongue, but stopped herself. "Alright" she turned to go out the kitchen.

"Try not to worry so much, mom. I'm just going to show him some things and look for someone. Everything's going to be fine"

She glanced back at Scott's warm smile and shook her head "I don't think I can" she left to get the door.

Scott sighed, slumping back over his book. _Well, it was worth a try._

Stiles must've set a record making it to Allison's house. Quickly hopping out of his car and walking to her door. He was about to knock when the door swung open and Chris was staring at him.

Stiles took a step back instinctively, his hand still raised to knock "Um, h-hi Mr. Argen-"

"Save it" Chris cut him off, grabbing his raised hand and pulling him inside before shutting the door.

Stiles waited for him to say something, but he just locked the door and started walking. "Uh, Allison c-"

"I know" he threw over his shoulder and kept walking.

Stiles threw his hands up, making random gestures to the room before slamming them at his sides and following the adult.

Chris quickened his pace when he heard the teen following him. He opened a door and began walking downstairs to the basement. "Close the door behind you"

Stiles did so before following him down "So, are you leading me to my death? Maybe bury me in the woods after?" Chris stopped and looks up at him. "What? It's like the perfect set up! You even got the creepy serial killer silence thing dow-"

"You know, I like you a lot better when you're NOT talking" Chris interrupted, irritation clear in his voice. Stiles instantly shut his mouth and Chris continued down the stairs. _He hangs out with werewolves?_ He sped up his pace.

He could hear voices around him, but couldn't make out what they were saying. _Where am I?_ He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't budge and his body felt too heavy to even try. He gave up, ready for some more sleep, but was jolted out of his haze. One of the voices was practically shrieking and he could sense the panic in the air. _What happened? _ _The last thing I remember…Dere_k's eyes shot open and he flinched away from the blurry figures around him. Most of them backed away, but one stayed close. He growled at it, but it only moved closer, whispering words he couldn't understand. He blinked a few times, clearing his vision enough to see Allison and Stiles standing behind her, looking relieved about something. He blinked some more, looking around for the other figures, but there were only three others in the room besides himself. Allison, Stiles and….Chris. He shot up straight and nearly keeled over from the pain in his chest, but was caught by several hands.

Stiles reached out to stop Derek-forgetting how dangerous an upset werewolf could be- and Allison quickly joined him. "Easy big guy. Don't want to pull those out" Chris moved around to the other side of the bed and helped us push the wolf back down.

_Those?_ Derek looked down at his chest, trying to find the cause of his pain. He sluggishly lifted his hand to check, since he couldn't see anything from this angle, but Stiles stopped him.

"Trust me" he started, swallowing nervously before continuing "You don't want to touch that" Stiles liked to believe that he was tougher than most teens by now thanks to his after school supernatural activities, but he might have screamed like a little girl when he saw the inflamed cuts on the wolf's torso.

Derek lowered his hand back to his side and tried to relax "Where am I?" He asked, trying to focus on the three humans, but his senses weren't cooperating.

Allison was the one to answer "My house"

Derek immediately tensed up. _So much for relaxing_ "Why?!" he didn't even try to keep the distain and irritation out of his voice.

"Because I brought you here" Chris stepped back into Derek's sight, showing his own anger. He didn't like the wolf's attitude and was not going to put up with it. "I went back later that night to see what happened and found you unconscious in a clearing, no alpha in sight" he leaned down over the bed. Not quite menacing, but not friendly either "last time I checked, Scott was trying to kill anything in sight, so why are you still alive?"

"Not everything, just you"

"And us" Stiles chimed in, receiving a glare from the wolf. "Come on Derek. We kind of have a crisis to deal with"

Derek watched the teen flail, his irritation rising, but he nodded and relaxed. "He wasn't trying to kill me. I just kept getting in his way"

Stiles gawked at him "What, werewolves have some kind of bro-code, but humans are fair game" Derek glared again, but Stiles didn't care. "You get to just sit by while he comes after all of us…..Oh God. Is he going to attack the town? No, he didn't kill his mom-"

"Stiles!" everyone yelled. The teen shut up and took a few steps back, but continued to fidget.

With that taken care of, Allison turned back to the task at hand "Will he come after us?"

"No, he's had time to adjust to his new power and regain his senses-"

Stiles jumped back into the conversation, literally "That's great! We just have to deal with normal wolf Scott-"

"No"

Stiles glared at the wolf "But you said-"

"He's an alpha wolf with teenage hormones" Chris cut in, tired of hearing the boys voice all together.

"Dad-"

He cut her off with a raised hand "We go by a code, but I am not going to sit by while an inexperienced and out of control alpha runs around free"

Stiles focused his glare on the hunter "So, what? Your just gonna lock him up until you deem him _in control_" he emphasized with finger quotes.

Chris nodded "All we need is bait" he looked at Derek and the teens followed suit.

Derek didn't like the way the hunter was looking at him and showed his discomfort in a growl "No" he tried to sit up, but Allison and Stiles pushed him back down. "I am NOT helping you hunt Scott"

"Calm down Derek. No one's hunting Scott" Allison tried to calm the wolf, but it was clear he wasn't listening. Derek growled and pushed up off the cot with his werewolf strength. The teens struggled to stop him and Stiles accidentally pressed on his wound, reopening it and spilling black blood all over the place.

Derek's chest lit up in pain and he slammed his head back into the pillow and roared.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Stiles chanted, fumbling to stop the black blood flow while Alisson searched for medical supplies.

Chris didn't move from his spot, watching the teens fumble until his wife came down to help. Drugging Derek with a week dose of wolf bane before cleaning and stitching the wounds closed. By the time she was done, Derek had fallen into a drugged sleep.

"There" Victoria cleaned her hands off and threw the wipe with the rest of the trash "As long as nobody touches them, they should heal relatively quickly.

Stiles ducked down in shame at the comment "Right, no touching. Why isn't he healed anyway? He's a freaking werewolf. And what's with the black blood?"

Chris was wondering if he could get away with shooting the kid, but the glare from Allison derailed that thought. "A wound from an alpha is meant to be a punishment to lesser wolves and takes longer to heal. The blood turns black when their healing factor slows down and leaves them light headed and slightly disoriented until the wound closes"

"So, how are you going to catch Scott? Derek's not going to cooperate" Allison ignored the look of disbelief from Stiles.

"He doesn't need to. He'll be out of it long enough for us to catch the alpha"

Stiles looked from one hunter to the other "You're really discussing this? Allison, Scott's our friend. Are you really going to help your Dad, a freaking hunter, catch him?" she looked away in some kind of turmoil. He turned to the other hunter "And you. You have no right to hunt him. He hasn't killed anyone, so-"

Chris was in the teens face now, calm thrown to the wind "I can't let an alpha in his state-"

"What state?!" Stiles yelled back "He was back at school today as a regular kid. Not some super wolf butchering people"

Chris's hands balled into fists at his side, ready to throttle the boy when his wife cut in. "He may not be killing people now, but we can't let him go unchecked" both men turned to face her "A teen, especially a bitten one, was never meant to be an alpha. The status puts an enormous amount of stress on their psyche. Add that to a teen's hormonal imbalance and you have a very unstable and unpredictable beast"

Stiles stayed quiet as Victoria gathered the trash, but that could only last so long "What do you mean his status?"

"An alpha is the highest status a werewolf can have. He'll be physically stronger than the lower classes, but he also has responsibilities and…urges that they don't. He will be driven to mark his territory and protect it-"

"Ok, so re-teach potty training" Allison face palmed while her parents stared at him dully, not even a hint of a smile on their faces. Stiles shrugged "Ok, maybe later"

Victoria didn't miss a beat "He'll also feel the overwhelming need to grow and protect his family from anything or one he perceives as a threat"

Stiles was completely focused on her words, but he still wasn't sure if he heard that right. "Grow? As in-"

"Turning other's to strengthen his pack" Chris supplied.

Victoria nodded "The bigger the pack, the stronger he is"

Stiles was at a loss for words, so Allison cut in "Like strength in numbers?"

"Yes, but it will also make the individual members stronger and faster-"

"Ok, ok. Enough!" he might have said that a little louder than he wanted, but his mind was racing and he was beginning to panic. "Scott hates being a werewolf. He would never do that to another person"

"Before"

That one word sent dread spiking through his veins "And NONE of this explains why you need Derek"

"We explained it perfectly" Chris could feel the teens glare, but refused to look at him "Derek is a wolf outside of his pack. He is either a potential threat or pack mate"

"So, Scott will come after him"

Chris nodded "And when he does, we'll catch him"

Allison didn't like this idea. She didn't want to treat her friend-_her love-_like an out of control beast, but she couldn't stand by and let him kill whoever he wanted either. _That probably includes me and my family. "_I'll help you"

Chris nodded. He wasn't really happy to hear that, but he couldn't keep her out of it with her own life in danger. He looked at Stiles who-for the first time since he met the boy-was quietly staring at the floor. He walked up to him, but didn't touch him or enter his personal space. He didn't need to.

Allison stepped up to her friend and wrapped him in a comforting hug "It's the best thing we can do for him Stiles"

Stiles couldn't believe how completely out of control the situation had gotten and that _this_ was their best plan of action. He looked up at Allison and was relieved to see how much this as hurting her. _She still cares about him._ He could feel her parents' gazes on him, but he couldn't look at them. Instead he looked at Derek, who remained oblivious to this whole conversation. _He won't approve of this. Not after his family….but Scott might kill him too. _"I'll help you"

_I'll help you._ Those words have haunted him for the past few days. How could he agree to such a bad plan? Derek was going to kill him for sure this time and if he doesn't, Scott will. _But hunters are considered a threat. They had to do something or Scott would just kill them._ He hadn't spoken to the Argents since that night. Sure, Allison had tried to talk to him, but he wasn't in the mood…or paying any attention to what she was saying. The only thing he could really focus on was his best friend who still hadn't spoken to him and was attending school as if nothing-completely off the supernatural scale-had happened. _That was really starting to get to him._

Allison spotted Stiles at his usual spot and sat down with her lunch. She hesitated for a second before beginning to eat, figuring that by her friends unblinking gaze, he still wasn't going to talk to her. Stiles hadn't even noticed she'd sat down beside him as he stared across the room at Scott, taking in everything. Originally when this strange behavior had begun, Scott would sit at random places. He didn't really socialize, but he didn't ignore whoever he sat with either. Now it was different. He'd stop jumping from table to table and stayed at one in the far corner of the room with a few others. Stiles couldn't really see who they were, but from the brief moments he could see Scott in the crowded lunch room, he could tell that he was doing more than tolerating the interaction. He couldn't take this anymore, he needed to speak to his friend.

Thankfully Scott got up and left the lunch room for something. Stiles jerked out of his seat to follow when Allison grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?!" she hissed at him.

Stiles didn't even look at her, still focused on the door Scott had left through "I'm gonna talk to him"

"We already tried that-"

"Well, I'm gonna try again" he pulled out of her hold and took off. Allison shot up after him.

Scott walked calmly into the boys locker room, humming lightly as he set his stuff down on a bench "You know, we could've talked about this in the lunch room" he turned to face his stalker "I was really enjoying today's special"

Jackson didn't have the patients for this "Bite me"

Scott raised an eyebrow "Bite you?"

"Don't play stupid McCall. You owe me!" he really didn't have the patients for this.

Scott just looked at him before bursting into a fit of laughter. Jackson growled and walked up to him, slamming the hysterical teen into the lockers "Shut up! I know you're an alpha, so give me what I want" he slammed him into the lockers again when he didn't respond. "It's not funny!"

"Yes, it is" Scott replied, smiling from ear to ear before shoving the teen away and into the other set of lockers. Jackson barely managed to stay on his feet and quickly shuffled away from the wolf. Scott could smell the fear radiating from him now and he could easily place it as one of the best things he's ever smelled "You _demand_ that I bite you. That I _owe_ you. How can I not laugh at that?"

Jackson tried to compose himself, not let the other know that he was afraid, but he couldn't stop the light trembling of his body or the shaking in his voice "I-I was there when you killed the alpha. I helped-"

"Oh, right. You threw the fire bomb" Scott looked at him thoughtfully, but Jackson could see the mischief sparkling in his black eyes. _Were they supposed to be that color?_ He was pulled from his thoughts when Scott started walking about the room "Well, I guess I should thank you for your help, but there's a few problems"

"P-problems?"

"Yes, but just a few. They mostly have to do with how you're an egotistical moron who only looks out for himself and doesn't care about anyone around him!" Jackson flinched back as Scott all but yelled at him. He was up against the lockers before he even noticed the wolf move, red eyes glaring into his own "Why would I give such a heartless bastard this gift?" Jackson could barely understand what he was saying over the growls twisted into his voice "I should just kill you now. Save everyone the trouble of having to deal with you and your pompous attitude" he lifted him off the ground, claws scrapping lightly against his throat.

"Scott!" Red eyes shifted to see his best friend looking panicked and his ex…pointing a small crossbow at him. "Scott, this isn't you. Just put him down and let's go finish our lunch"

Scott turned his head to give his friend a disinterested look, vaguely registering the wheezing sound coming from Jackson "You're not in a position to tell me what to do Stiles" Allison raised her weapon, showing that she meant business, but he didn't really care.

"Put him down Scott" she made a show notching the arrow back.

"You should put that down before you get hurt" the arrow whizzed passed his head and bounced off the wall, skittering to a stop somewhere on the floor.

"Put. Him. Down" she notched another arrow, but didn't get the chance to aim. The crossbow was out of her hands before she felt the pain of claws digging into her wrist and she was being pressed into the wall before she noticed the clawed hand around her throat.

Stiles wasn't really sure how he ended up face first on the cold tiled floor, but it didn't stop him from full blown panicking.

"No, let him up" Stiles tensed at the sound of Scott's voice. _Who's holding me down?_ There was a quiet growl before the weight above him moved and he shot up off the ground.

Scott smirked at his friend's skittishness as he stood and turned to look at his captor. "Don't be rude Isaac. Say hi"

The teen glanced at his alpha's amused smirk before grunting at the human. His wolf features quickly fading.

Stiles gawked at him "I-Isaac? You turned Isaac and" he looked over at the pretty blond holding Allison against the wall and she smiled politely "…who the heck is that?!" The smile dropped and she growled at him, fangs barred and eyes glowing.

Scott chuckled to himself "I'm sure you remember Erica" he put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from outright laughing as Stiles gawked again.

"That's Erica?! B-but she's-"

"She's what?!" The she wolf snapped at him.

"-dropped dead gorgeous!" Stiles finished

Scott gave up and collapsed against the locker in a fit of laughter-dropping Jackson in the process-at the shocked expression on Erica's face. Jackson quickly crawled away from the wolf and went to stand behind Stiles, too shocked to utter a sound. Erica quickly recovered from her shock and flashed her best smile-teeth back to their normal size-and watched as he fumbled over whatever he was trying to say.

"Uh…S-Stiles? Little help!" Allison wheezed. The she wolf's grip had tightened around her throat before and she hasn't let up on the pressure even though she'd calmed down.

"Erica" she turned to look at her alpha "Let her breathe" Allison gulped down air once the hand left her throat, but she remained pressed to the wall.

"Scott-"

"No" he quickly cut off his friend. "I'm only going to say this once Stiles. Stay away from me"

_Stay away?! _Stiles couldn't believe this. "Oh sure, I'll just leave you to your crazy wolf instincts. Who's next on your list, Jackson?" He gestured to the teen behind him.

Scott just looked at him calmly, but his eyes reflected a bit of madness "When the time is right, I'll find you" he glanced over at Allison "And for your sake, Derek better be ok"

Allison froze at the comment. _He couldn't know! _"My sake? You're the one that tried to kill him"

Scott smiled again, but there was nothing happy about it "True, but I left him alive and in the _woods_" Allison paled as he gestured to the others and walked out the room, both following behind him.

Stiles waited a moment before turning to the teen behind him "What the hell were you thinking?!"

Jackson jumped a bit, but quickly went back into his jackass persona "I don't have to explain myself to you" he brushed pass him and left.

"Well, hope enjoyed your chat" Allison stated dryly while the boy flailed angrily.

"What is wrong with that guy?!" He caught the look on Allison's face and sighed "Ok, I screwed up. But I had to try…and why are you looking at me like that?"

The color hadn't returned to Allison's face "He knows"

Everything clicked in place and Stiles panicked "W-Wait, he can't know-"

"He just said it Stiles!"

Stiles threw up his hands in what he hoped was a calming _shut up, he'll hear you_ gesture "No, he said Derek's not in the woods" _and he knows the Argents have something to do with that_.

Allison fumbled for her phone, Stiles' gestures and comment making her panic more "I need to tell my dad. We have to move him"

"Where?"

"I don't know! We have to do something!" she hissed at him and was quiet satisfied when he jumped and walked back into a bench, yelping when he fell over.

Chris felt his heart constrict painfully, but he didn't let it stop him from acting. He jogged pass his wife, ignoring her _come here_ gesture as he made his way to the garage.He was shocked to find out that with all of their precautions, Scott had already discovered where Derek was. It wasn't really a setback considering he had many locations to store a werewolf and plenty of time to move since the alpha was in school, but he would've liked a little more warning. _How did she find out that he knew? Did she approach him? Did he approach her? Did he threaten her?_ The questions kept coming as he prepared his truck for transport. He didn't plan on using chains, but he made sure he had enough wolf bane to keep the wolf out of it. He prepped a shot for the road, now all he needed was Derek. He walked back into the house and headed for the basement, syringe hidden just up his sleeve. He nearly dropped it when he reached the bottom. Claw marks lined the walls and one of the windows had been smashed, no werewolf in sight. He doubled checked the room to confirm this before heading back upstairs. _Ok, that's a setback. __Stubborn wolf._

He found his wife by the phone in the living room "Derek's gone" she started and turned to face him, shock written all over her face. "Broke a window who knows how long ago. I'll go look for him, but we'll need another plan" she nodded and he turned to leave. _He couldn't have gotten too far_.

"Perhaps it's for the best"

_The best? _He turned back to face her "Why?"

"He's coming"

That could've meant anyone, but he knew exactly who from the look on his wife's face and his timing couldn't be worse. He shook his head and turned to leave again "Then god help us all"


	3. Chapter 3

Firstly, I thank everyone who left a review. Your thoughts on this story are very amusing and encouraging :) Now a not so fun fact, only Linden Ashby knows Sheriff Stilinski's first name. With that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please review. Oh, and let me know if you see any errors or places I can improve.

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Stiles couldn't wait to get home. After the day he had, he didn't really want to leave it ever again. _He's already turned two people. It's been what, a week? How many until he's satisfied? What are we going to do with the werewolf population?! _The more he thought about it, the more frantic he became. He walked into his room and plopped down into his computer chair. He nearly had a heart attack when something smacked into his window. He looked over at the poor bird as it swayed on its feet before taking off. _Get a grip Stiles! _He laughed it off and turned his computer on, but something grabbed his shoulder from behind. He screamed, shooting out of his seat and flailed helplessly, trying to get away from whatever was holding him, pleading for his life.

"STILES!"

He stopped instantly and looked dead into green eyes "Derek?!" The wolf just glared at him. "What the hell! You can't just go around grabbing people like that!"

Derek let go and let his hand rest at his side "Yeah, well I didn't expect you to shriek either"

"I did-" he cut himself off when he realized how high pitched he was then. "What are you even doing here? You're supposed to be comatose in the Argent's basement"

Derek shrugged and went to sit on Stiles bed "I left"

Stiles gawked at the wolf, unbelieving of his nonchalant attitude "I can see that. WHY did you leave?"

Derek plopped down on the bed and glared "In case you forgot, they were planning to use me _as bait_" he growled the last part. He saw fear dance in Stiles' eyes "You were going to help them-"

Stiles eyes widened in fake disbelief "W-What? Me? Help them do THAT? Are you crazy" he plopped down into his computer chair and turned away. _Man, I hope he bought that_. HE glanced back at Derek, who was just sitting there, glaring at him, but it didn't have its usual distain behind it. Instead he looked tired and calmer. _Guess he's still feeling the Alpha effect. _Stiles turned some more in his seat, allowing him to see the slight sheen of sweat on the wolf's slightly pale skin.

"What?!" Derek growled at him and Stiles was proud of himself for only jumping a little bit.

He turned completely in his chair and continued to study the wolf "Why are you here? We're not exactly friends…at all" _maybe his wound still hurts. _He looked at his chest, watching as it moved with each breath. _He's breathing fine, but sitting pretty stiff._

"I needed to ask you something"

He sounded distant, but Stiles didn't look up, focusing on the spot where Derek's hand rested against his side "And that would be?" he could see dark smudges around the hand and leaned closer to get a better look.

Derek wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention or he would have seen Stiles' not so subtle staring. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn't focus for very long.

"Derek!" Stiles yelled, shooting out of his seat and to the wolf's side. Derek snapped his head to face the boy, startled by the yell and his sudden closeness. He tried to move away from him, but ended up falling flat on the bed.

Stiles knew what that color was. It had become a frequent sight for him in the last few months. _Blood._ He moved Derek's hand away to reveal his stained shirt. He looked at it for a second before giving up and-with a surprising lack of protest-lifted Derek's shirt. Now he could see the little cuts littering his side with shards of glass sticking out and a nonstop flow of black blood oozing out.

He jumped back, the mounting panic he'd been feeling making itself known "Wha-Derek! When did this happen? How did this happen?! What the hell did you do?! Did Allison's dad do this?! Oh God, Scott's going to kill them"

Derek couldn't hear him anymore as his senses dulled and the room began to spin. _Maybe I should've stayed in bed. _He groaned and tried to fix his shirt.

Stiles moved his hands away and flinched when the wolf actually whimpered "R-Right. Questions later, first aid now. Umm.." he bounced in place before running out his room and to the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet with a little more force than he meant to and proceeded to shuffle through its contents, knocking bottles and other unneeded items on the ground. _Why do we have so many pills? Gauze, tape, a freaking band aid. Give me something to work with! _"Yes!" he pulled out some gauze and medical tape. _Why do we have medical tape?_

"Stiles, You up there?!"

"Yeah Dad!" Stiles yelled back as he tried to find the end of the tape._ Dad!_ He shot out of the bathroom just as his dad was pushing his room door open. He quickly stepped in the way and slammed it closed. "H-Hi Dad. What are you doing home so soon?" by the look he was getting, he had failed to appear calm and collected. _But that's the look he always gives me._

There was nothing normal about that reaction, but there wasn't anything normal about Stiles, so he let it slide. "I was on break. Just checking on you before I go"

"Checking up? Oh, thanks Dad, but I'm fine"

The sheriff raised an eyebrow "Really?"

"Yup" Stiles nodded "Just gonna relax in my room. Do a little homework. Maybe-"

"I heard you shrieking"

Stiles easy going look quickly shifted to one of mortification and shock "I did not shriek"

The sheriff nodded in his _I don't believe you_ way "You screamed like a little-"

"DID NOT!" Stiles couldn't believe his dad had heard him. His reputation-or lack thereof-was ruined. _Damn you Derek!_

"Fine, fine" he threw his hands up in surrender "Just answer me one question and I'll leave you alone"

"Sure, I can do that. Then off to work for you. No more slacking" he shook his finger for emphasis and got a disapproving look. _Anything to get you out of here._

"Why do you have those?" he pointed down and Stiles followed the invisible line to the bandages in his hands.

_Oh...crap. Come on Stiles, think!_ "I hit a bird" he shook his head "I mean it hit me. Hit my window!"

"Right, and you're going to…"

"Patch up its wing" he held up the bandages "I've already got scissors and some wood in my room. Quick fix"

Again, the sheriff wasn't sure what to do with his son's wacky behavior, but pushed it aside "That's the _thump_ I heard earlier?"

"Yes!" Stiles nodded eagerly.

"And why you shrieked?"

"…Yeah" he relented, sagging against the door in defeat. His dad seemed pleased with that answer and turned to leave, so he turned to enter his room.

"Oh, Stiles" he paused and looked back at his dad "Take it to a real doctor when you're done"

He smiled and nodded. _Stay calm, act normal. Stay calm, act normal. _He waited until his dad was halfway down the stairs before bursting into his room and closing it behind him, locking it for good measure. He took a second to calm down before turning to the task at hand. Derek had not moved from his reclined spot on the bed and from what Stiles could tell, he probably wasn't conscious anymore. _Ok, I can do this._ He grabbed his scissors and walked over to his make shift patient to study the wound. Derek was out cold, his breathing even, but heavier than before. The cuts were still oozing black blood and the glass remained in place, cutting open what little his body had healed. _Maybe I should get tweezers._

Allison was not having a good day, she did NOT want to come home and find out that their unwilling bait had escaped. She didn't give her mother time to tell her anymore before heading to the basement. She expected there to be more damage, but she still flinched at what the injured wolf had managed to do. She ran her hands along the claw marks heading up to the window before pulling her hand back, the tips coated in dried blood. She looked up at the window while reaching for her phone and dialing. She could picture his desperation as he dragged his claws across the wall, making shallow slashes before adding more force, eventually sinking through the wall and climbing up to the window and smashing it with little care for his own wellbeing. _He really didn't want to be in here._

"Hello?"

"Stiles" she skipped the greeting "We have a problem"

"Allison?" he sounded surprised. _The name flashes on the screen!_ "W-What do you mean?"

She paced around the room, panic building up "Derek's gone"

"…Gone? W-What do you mean gone?"

"I mean that he tore up the basement and broke through the window!"

"Are you sure? Maybe your dad took him somewhere"

_Was he serious?! _"I'm sitting in the basement right now Stiles!"

"Ok, ok" she could picture him with his hands up in surrender "What are we going to do?"

He sounded calmer than she thought he would be at the news, but brushed it off. _One of us needs to be._ "My dad went out looking for him, but we're working on another plan if he can't find him" she sat on the cot and noticed her mom had come downstairs and was waiting near the stairs, giving her a serious look. "I got to go. I'll talk to you more about it tomorrow" she waited long enough for him to agree before hanging up and sighing. She looked over at the destroyed window again, her panic twisting into anger at the wolf. _I wouldn't want to be used as bait by the family that destroyed mine either._

"Allison" her mother sat down beside her and she turned to face her. "We need to talk"

Derek woke with a groan, his whole body ached and his head was pounding. _Did I pull the stitches again?_

"Oh, well _err_ to you too" Derek tensed, stopping himself from shooting up in defense and injuring himself further. He slowly opened his eyes and propped himself up to look at the speaker.

Stiles paced back and forth before the bed, his hands flailing into random gestures as he mumbled to himself. _I lied to Allison. What am I supposed to do with Derek? I really need to read the caller I.D. _His thoughts grew more and more scrambled as his panic rose.

Derek watched him for about three laps, trying to decipher whatever he was saying before giving up. He pushed himself until he was sitting up with his feet hanging off the bed and only then did he notice that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

His chest looked significantly better than the last time he saw the wound, but he could still feel the ache in each slash. What really caught his attention was the fresh bandage on his side and he leaned over to get a better look, lifting his hand to trace against the wrapping.

"Don't touch that!" Stiles swatted his hand away and Derek growled, but he hardly cared "Shut up. I'm the one that had to bandage you up, lie to my dad AND Allison" he threw his up, backing into his computer chair and plopping onto it. "I get that you didn't want to be bait or in the Argents house, but why did you come HERE?!"

There were so many things that Derek wanted to say to the teen, but that wasn't why he was here "I needed to ask you something"

"Yes, you said that before" he shook his head at the confused look the wolf gave him "That's the only thing you told me in your delirium, but that's beside the point"

"I'm leaving"

Stiles twitched, refraining from his usual wild reaction "What do you mean leaving?"

Derek raised an eyebrow "I mean I'm leaving town"

_Yup, that's what I thought he meant._ Stiles shot up from his seat, hands already flailing "What?! You can't leave. What are we supposed to do with Scott?"

"Scott won't bother you unless you do something to threaten him"

"And the Argents, what about them?" Derek only shrugged and that pissed him off even more "Damn it Derek! You can't just run away from this!"

Derek sighed, this was getting away from the point and what he came here for "Look, no human is a threat unless they attack his new pack. All of you are safe. I, on the other hand, am a lone werewolf and will always be a threat unless I join him, leave or die"

"Why _don't_ you join him?"

Derek looked at the wall, a small growl rumbling in his throat "I rather die than join him"

Stiles didn't really get that, but didn't dwell on it. He needed Derek to focus "Ok fine, whatever. What did you need me for?"

"Have you seen my car?"

Stiles was quiet for a moment, waiting for him to yell_ Just kidding_ or something, but Derek just stared at him expectantly. _He's serious._ "You lost your car?" Derek growled, but remained quiet. "How did you lose your car? Can't you just sniff it out or something?"

Derek growled louder "No, I can't just _sniff it out_ and I didn't lose it. It was taken"

Stiles smiled, finding this a little amusing "Really, I wonder who would want to steal a Camaro?"

_He wants to play around, fine. I can do that too _"Oh I don't know, maybe the wolves took it" Stiles stiffened "I hear they've been quite rowdy for not being native to the area"

"What makes you think it's Scott? He doesn't know how to hotwire anyway" Stiles said defensively. His friend was taking the blame a lot recently.

"The fact my keys are gone and the spot where I left my car reeks of him and few other wolves"

Stiles deflated back into his chair "He doesn't want you to leave"

Derek nodded "But I need to"

"No" that earned him a glare "I get it, your options aren't that great, but he took your car. I don't know where it is-" Derek stood up and he stood with him, moving to block the window "-and you won't get far on foot, especially if you rip one of those open again" he gestured to the still healing cuts.

Derek glared at him, but sat back down, exhaustion setting in again as he looked at the ceiling "If I don't leave he'll find me. I'm a sitting duck here"

Stiles nodded, immensely grateful for the wolf's fatigue_. Makes him A LOT easier to work with _"But if you do, he'll catch you and you can't really fight back" Derek didn't say anything as he flopped onto his back again. _There's gotta be something we can do._ He let the wolf be as he figured out what to do with him. He couldn't give him back to the Argents, Derek would run for sure. He'll have to keep him here, but how would he hide him from his dad? _Guess I'll be locking my door for a while._

Derek rolled to his side, watching the teen pace around the room mumbling to himself and going through his belongings. He knew he shouldn't be here, he needed to leave Beacon Hills before Scott could find him, but he couldn't bring himself to move. The bed was soft and he was growing sleepier by the second. He tried to focus on what Stiles was saying, keep himself awake, but his repetitive movements only lulled him into sleep faster.

He couldn't figure it out. He used to spend his time doing homework and chores when he wasn't playing lacrosse and though the first two weren't fun, he had grown to like them. Now he was walking through the woods with his pack mates and he couldn't remember a time he had been happier. Sure none of them were talking to each other, and he wasn't even sure if the new guy _could_ talk, but that just made the night better. He could feel his pack mates' joy through their bond and reveled in the closeness they had, easily beating the one he shared with his dad. The only thing he missed was Scott.

The alpha rarely let himself be felt through the bond and even now shut himself off as he walked ahead. Isaac reached out to him, lightly sliding his concern and comfort against the wall around his mind. He felt hesitation before Scott opened up, brushing against his beta with love and acknowledgement. The others joined in and he bathed them all with attention before pulling back into himself. Isaac hadn't noticed that he closed his eyes to savor the feeling until he bumped into something. He jumped back when he saw Scott, but the alpha didn't move. He only gave him and amused smirk before looking up.

The others copied him-they were out there to learn-but quickly gave up and looked at their leader again. Unlike the other times they'd come out here, Scott wasn't looking at them patiently waiting for them to succeed or ask for help, he was still looking up. They waited quietly for him to finish, the new turn-Boyd-shuffled uneasily, unsure of what to do, but Isaac and Erica quickly reassured him. A moment later Scott snapped out of whatever he was doing and smiled, his teeth shining in the moonlight. He glanced back at them, a smirk on his face and glint in his eyes that had Isaac's adrenaline spiking. _He's gonna run!_

Scott took off without a word, his betas right behind him, but the alpha wasn't holding back. Boyd was the first to fall behind, too new to his abilities access his true speed. Erica next, but only so Boyd wouldn't be left alone. Isaac refused to drop back and pushed on, but he couldn't close the gap between him and Scott. He soon lost site of the wolf, but kept running anyway, hoping to catch up when the alpha slowed or stopped. Neither of those happened when Scott reached out and grabbed him by the back of the neck, bringing him to a complete stop and thoroughly scaring the beta.

Scott put him down and Isaac could just barely see the mischievous smile on his face. _Bastard._

Scott chuckled, feeling his beta's irritation and turned to face the approaching couple "Sorry Boyd, I got a little carried away"

"With what?" Erica questioned more curious than irritated.

Scott's grin flared back up into a full smile "Nothing much" he walked passed them "I just smelled something really good" Boyd watched him walk away looking between the alpha and his fellow pack mates with silent confusion. Erica shrugged and followed after Scott, dragging the youngest wolf behind her.

Isaac didn't follow, too caught up in his thoughts. He glanced back in question, Scott's run had dragged them near the edge of the forest and he could see that some of the homes were lit up for the night owls inside, but nothing else. _I don't get it._ He shook his head and followed the others.

Stiles was reaching for his alarm clock before he even fully registered the sound. His hand moved sloppily through the air looking for the button to ease his existence. _Where is that stupid thing?_ He reached farther, a little too far he noted when he fell off his bed. The impact woke him up, but the fall didn't hurt as much as it usually did and it was…..warm?

Stiles shot up onto his bed and peered down over the edge in pure terror, but he quickly relaxed. Derek laid on the floor wrapped in a soft blanket and sleeping quietly, completely un-phased by the weight that had fallen on him. _Thank god._

"Stiles!" Derek stirred a bit before settling back down.

Stiles -on the other hand-shot out of bed and ran to the door, opening it and sticking his head out just before his dad could grab the handle. "…Mourning dad"

The Sheriff remained frozen, quietly studying his son "…You're awake?"

Stiles returned the look "Yeah, my alarm clock went off"

"Stiles, you don't _have_ an alarm clock"

Stiles just blinked at him, confusion clear on his face before leaning back into his room. Sure enough, there was no alarm clock or any clock at all in his room. "Huh" he leaned back out the door "Well I'm gonna need to get one" They stood quietly for a moment, silently staring at each other.

The Sheriff looked away first, shaking his head "Sure, just hurry and get dressed. Scott's downstairs waiting for you-"

"Wait, what?!" Stiles couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

His dad didn't even flinch at his outburst and turned to leave "Hurry up so you both make it on time"

Stiles stepped back into his room and slammed the door harder than he wanted and Derek groaned. His mind was racing as ran about the room, first giving Derek his pillow before throwing on some clothes. He almost forgot his backpack as he rushed out the door and down the stairs and sure enough, Scott was waiting calmly by the door. "You-"

Scott was in front of him before he could blink and covered his mouth, muffling whatever his friend was going to say "Shh, not so loud. Don't want to wake up your guest" Stiles froze, staring horrified into chocolate brown eyes that twinkled with mischief before he pulled away and left the house.

_He knows. He KNOWS!_ Stiles ran after the other boy, fumbling for his keys as his friend waited calmly by the door. They didn't speak as they climbed into the jeep and sped off, but the silence was killing Stiles. He glanced over at the wolf sitting beside him looking out the window. His posture normal, his silence normal, even his eyes were back to their original color, but the fact that he was sitting there all normal after everything that's been going on was driving him crazy.

"So, what now?" Scott didn't say anything "Aren't you going to say something?" nothing. _I am so tired of this._ He pulled over sharply, jerking the wolf out of his comfortable position and he growled his disapproval. Stiles quickly turned the car off and turned to his friend "Talk to me!"

"There's nothing to talk about" Scott resumed his position against the window.

Stiles didn't accept that "What are you going to do to Derek, huh? Claim him? Kill him?"

"Start the car Stiles" he growled, but his friend carried on.

"Or maybe you just want to scare him. Chase him around town until he goes mad with fear!" he paused to catch his breath and Scott didn't comment. "Scott, talk to me" he pleaded "Let me help you" he wanted him to turn and be the old Scott. Expected him to glare and get out of the car. He didn't expect him to laugh, a deep animalistic sound that sent chills up his spine.

"Help?" Scott questioned, chuckling to himself as he finally turned to face his friend "There's nothing that you can help me with"

Stiles lost his nerve as he leaned against his window to get as far away from the wolf as he could. Scott's entire demeanor had changed in seconds from the calm and quiet friend he was used to, to this dark and predatory creature staring at him with pure black eyes. "S-Scott-"

"No" Scott took a deep breathe, savoring the fear radiating off his friend "There's nothing you can say and there's nothing I want to tell you" he leaned forward "Now start the car" he smiled, showing his lengthening fangs "Or I'll rip your throat out, with my teeth"

Stiles fumbled to put his key back in the ignition and turn the car on, flooring it to school while Scott laughed besides him. He slid into his usual spot and scared everyone on the sidewalk in front of him, but he didn't notice. His hands and eyes were glued to the steering wheel and he could feel his chest tightening as he struggled to supply enough air to frantically beating heart.

Scott admired his work and patted him on the shoulder lightly before getting out the car, the maniacal smile never leaving his face as he made his way inside the school_. Today is going to be great._


	4. Chapter 4

___This took longer than expected since I hated this chapter (and kept getting distracted), but I fixed it, so we're good. Enjoy!_

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_Today couldn't get any worse. _Allison really didn't want to come to school today. _I should be out with my dad looking for Derek._ She sat down next to Stiles and started eating, so used to Stiles' silence that she didn't see anything strange about it. Stile didn't look up from his tray as he quietly picked at his food from time to time. He wasn't really hungry or in the mood for anything after his morning _talk_ with Scott and grateful that Allison didn't try to start a conversation with him, but the silence didn't last long. Allison was surprised when Lydia sat down between her and Stiles. Stiles was shocked that Lydia would come this close to him without a teacher's prompting. Lydia ignored both their stares as she quietly ate her food, eyes focused on something across the room. Stiles and Allison shared a look, trying to figure out what was happening without actually asking, but to no avail.

Stiles went for it "Lydia-" she shushed him and continued eating.

He stared at her in quiet disbelief before looking to his partner for assistance. Allison shrugged, and flashed him a small smile, but he pressed his point, glaring pointedly from her to the red head between them.

She relented a minute later "So, Lydia" she paused, waiting for the girl to turn her down, but she didn't and Allison took that as her cue to continued "Feel like a change of seat today?"

"No" she finally looked up from her food, but not at them "This seat has the best view" Allison shared a confused look with Stiles before they following her friend's line of site.

Standing by the cafeteria line with a tray of food was Jackson. Allison glanced down at Lydia in question, but the girl never looked away from her target. Jackson quietly surveyed the room, ignoring his friends waving him over to their table in favor of a table at the edge of the lunch room; Scott's table. Stiles openly gawked as the arrogant teen made his way over to the wolves and sat down at the far end, nodding to the four in greeting before eating his food. Allison held her breath, waiting for a repeat of the locker room and sighed in relief when they resumed their meals.

"What is wrong with this school?" Lydia questioned, gaining the pairs attention. "Scott has never been worth a second glance and last time I checked, Jackson hated him. When did that change?"

Stiles shrugged and looked back at Scott's table un-amused "Scott's the ultimate power and Jackson has devoted himself to serving that power" Lydia gave him a heated look, but he ignored it in favor of his food.

She stole his fork, effectively gaining his attention "No, I would be the first to know if that happened"

Stiles glowered at her, wanting his fork back "What, the ultimate power?" he reached for his drink.

Lydia huffed "No, Jackson being gay" Stiles promptly spit out his drink and choked on whatever managed to go down the wrong pipe while Allison looked away trying to hide her laughter. Lydia ignored both of them, placing Stiles fork on his tray "If anything, I'm the _ultimate power_ who he has _devoted_ himself to serving"´ that said, she grabbed her tray and left before Stile could respond.

"W-What…when….how?!"Stiles questioned, gawking at the retreating red head before turning to the girl next to him. Allison tried to calm down to answer him, but couldn't stop laughing and put her head back on the table. He glared at her, picking up his fork to eat and glare over at the wolf table only to find Scott in similar hysterics. _He's listening to us?!_ He glared at the wolf for a bit before continuing his meal.

Allison finally stopped laughing and continued her meal with a smile. She needed that after everything that's been happening. _It's only going to get worse._ Her smile fell at that thought. Scott still wouldn't talk to her or Stiles, possibly building a pack to come after her family, Derek-their leverage-was missing and they still haven't given her aunt a proper funeral. _What are we going to do when he gets here?_

"What, not funny anymore?"

She looked over at Stiles, but he just continued eating "What are we going to do Stiles? We still don't know what Scott's up to and Derek's probably long gone"

Stiles hummed thoughtfully before taking another bite of his food "No, he's at my house" he was about to take another bite when his fork was snatched away.

Allison glared at him, unbelieving of his nonchalant attitude "Your house?"

"Yes, my house" he glared back and reached for his fork.

Allison kept it out of his reach "And when were you planning on telling me this? My dad staiye out all night looking for him" her eyes narrowed further "Was he there when I called you?"

Stiles glare softened with guilt, but he held his stare "…yeah-"

"So you lied to me too!" Allison couldn't believe this. She grabbed her tray and prepared to stand and go sit with Lydia when he grabbed her arm.

Stiles sighed, but didn't look the slightest bit repentant "Look, I'm sorry. I knew where he was, so it wasn't in my immediate problems list"

"And what was on that list?"

Stiles took a moment to steal his fork back "Hmm, Scott knowing that Derek's at my place" he took a quick bite, ignoring her shocked expression "Scott threatening to rip my throat out this mourning and Jackass over there trying to get himself killed" He tapped his fork thoughtfully then shrugged and took another bite of food "I'm sure there's more, but I can't remember right no-"

"Stiles!" She interrupted his rambling "Why do you wait so long to tell me these things?!" she pulled out her phone and searched through her contacts until she found who she wanted.

Stiles watched her curiously, "Well, it was this morning. I'm past the shock…mostly. What are you doing?"

"Texting my dad. We need to move Derek before Scott can get to him" she didn't look up from the essay she was writing.

Stiles hummed to himself as he took another bite. He glanced at the werewolves as he listened and saw Scott tense. _Shit! __He's STILL listening! _"Yeah, you handle Derek, I'll handle jackass"

Allison smiled at the nickname "And how are you going to do that?" there was no respond. She glanced over, expecting Stiles to be engrossed in his meal, but he wasn't there. _Please don't do anything stupid._ She stood up a bit and scanned the lunch room until she found him. _Oh crap._

Stiles plopped down across from Jackson and continued eating. Jackson jumped a bit in surprise and stared at him in shock. "What are you doing?!" he said as calmly as he could, trying not to irritate the wolves he was sitting with.

Stiles looked at him like he was an idiot "Eating my lunch. What are _you_ doing?" he ignored the stares from the beta wolves as he waited for an answer. _Stay focused, stay calm._

Jackson glanced at Scott nervously, but the alpha had already gone back to eating his meal. "You know _exactly_ what I'm doing"

Stiles scoffed "Right, you're waiting for them to grow bored and kill you" that earned him a glare, but he shrugged it off "You know he's not going to turn you"

Jackson glanced over at the wolves again before returning his attention to his tray "Baby steps"

Stiles didn't hear the last comment and went back to his meal, glancing around the table every few moments to see what the wolves were doing, but they continued to eat quietly. _Probably talking telepathically. Wait, can they do that?! That would be so cool….and really bad. Damn wolves. _He was so lost in thought that he barely noticed the bell ring and automatically rose to leave. _Even if the Argents get Derek back, how are they going to catch and hold Scott?_ He didn't get to finish that thought when Allison ran up and clipped him on the back of the head.

"Next time, come up with a _smart_ idea" he glared, but didn't say anything.

Jackson quietly watched the interaction, glaring at the back of Stiles head. _I will get what I want._ They continued straight while he turned heading towards his next class when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey Jackson" that voice sent chills up his spine, but he didn't move.

Scott walked around to stand in front of him with an unnaturally sharp smile and sparkling black eyes "I have a preposition for you" Jackson perked up, but didn't say anything to avoid agitating the wolf and ruining his chance. "Since you're so adamant on getting what you want, I'll make you my omega" he chuckled at the glare he received "Don't look so upset. If you want me to turn you, then you're going to have to prove your pack material. Can you do that?"

Jackson kept glaring; he wanted to be a wolf, not in a pack and certainly not at the bottom. _Baby steps Jackson. You can do this._ He nodded in agreement.

Scott's smile widened even more and his teeth sharpened "Good" he closed his eyes and sighed, his features returning to their natural state "And I know just how to start"

Chris cautiously jogged back the way he'd come. He needed to get to Stiles' house as soon as possible, but it wouldn't help his cause if he sprained his ankle on a hidden root. His irritation rose at the thought that this could've all been avoided if Derek had stayed put in the basement. _Maybe I should put bars on the windows, but that would look suspicious._ He let his thoughts drift from one subject to another to pass the time. He had gone a good three miles into the woods and it was going to take a bit of time to get back to his truck. _That gives me….30 minutes to move Derek before Scott comes to get him. Good thing he's so focused on school. _His thoughts came to a stop when a soft noise drifted to him, like someone was crying. He turned in all directions, looking for the source, but couldn't see anything. _I don't have time for this._ Even so, his curiosity wouldn't let him leave. He heard it again and began jogging in that direction, continuing to look around for the source. The sound grew louder accompanied by a strong copper smell that he was far too familiar with. _Blood._ He drew his side arm and slowed his pace. The noise was clearer now and so was the smell. He found the source and if it wasn't for his training, he wouldn't have been able to handle it. There was a pool of blood in the center of the clearing with pieces of a body and clothing soaking in it. More blood decorated the surrounding trees and limbs hung from tree branches._ No human could've done this. Scott-_he shut down, stopping his thoughts from wandering to things he couldn't prove_. I need to stay calm. I need to think._ He heard the crying again and turned_. _A woman was curled against a tree tinged with blood, but from what he could see, unharmed. He looked around again to make sure the area was clear before putting his gun away and approaching the girl. She didn't even notice him as he checked her over for injuries. _Nothing. She's lucky, unlike her friend. _They didn't speak as he pulled out his phone and dialed 911. He looked around again out of habit while he waited and his eyes came to rest on a particular tree.

"911, what's your emergency?" The lady said calmly, but Chris didn't respond right away, too focused on his findings. He ignored the blood and ran his hand along the deep jagged cuts in the tree before they ran off to the side. _A human wouldn't be able to mimic this and they're too long to be a bear. _He responded to the operator without a doubt in his mind of what did this, but it wouldn't make his life any easier.

Derek couldn't remember sleeping so well and he wasn't even on a bed. He snuggled into the pillow, unwilling to wake up and move from the cushion underneath him. _Cushion?_ He reluctantly opened his eyes to look around. He wasn't in his old house or the Argent's basement. A quick sniff brought Stiles to mind and yesterday came flooding back to his mind. _I need to leave._ He sat up, ignoring the light headed feeling while he looked for his things. He found his jacket buried in Stiles closet and couldn't stop the growl as he fished it out. _I'm going to reek of him for days._ He kept digging, looking for his shirt, but there was no sign of it. He gave up after a few more minutes and fished through Stiles clothes until he found one that fit. _Freaking scrawny kid. Why does he even own a striped collared shirt, he only wears t-shirts. _

He had just put his jacket on when he heard someone coming up the stairs and heading this way_. The Sheriff!_ Derek barely held back his growl as he went for the window, but he didn't have time when the door swung open. He quickly flung himself into the closet and partly closed the door behind him before burying himself in the pile of clothes.

The Sheriff hesitated at the door as he looked into the empty room_. What am I doing? Stiles left this morning with Scott. I watched him leave._ Despite those facts, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was here. He walked in and began a methodical search to eases his nerves_. See, nothing._ He turned to leave when he noticed the closet. There was nothing really suspicious about it, but he hadn't looked there yet and it was a prime spot for someone to hide.

Derek waited patiently amongst the clothes, waiting for the man to finish whatever he was doing and leave. He wasn't sure how long he could stay like this. Even if the clothes were clean, it was just too much Stiles for him to handle. He listened as the Sheriff moved about the room and bit his tongue to stop a growl when the man moved towards the closet.

Without a second though, the Sheriff swung the door open and surveyed the room. The whole space was lined with clothes and he groaned at the large pile on the floor. _Nobody would hide in here. They might suffocate._ He laughed at his paranoia and closed the door, quickly making his way out of the room and to his car.

Derek waited until the man was all the way down the stairs and not a second more. He shot up out of the pile and raced to the window, sticking his head out to breath in clean Stiles free air. The wind blew towards him, replacing Stiles scent with something he hated more. _Wolves._ Two of them stood on the sidewalk just staring at him, one blankly and the other with silent amusement. Derek tensed, pushing himself up to defend and smacking the back of his head into the window. He could hear them laughing as he fell back into the room holding his head.

"That looked painful" someone laughed from above him. Derek rolled over onto his back and looked up at the boy leaning against the bed. _Another one?_

Isaac was trying his best not to laugh at the older wolf as he shuffled back to his feet. Mr. Stilinski let him in so that he could grab the _notes_ Stiles was supposed to give him. He didn't think the man would appreciate him tearing the room apart in an animalistic brawl. He was also curious about this wolf's relationship with Scott and didn't think he'd get any answers if he pissed him off.

"You're Derek, right?" no response and Isaac used the moment to look him over "I'm Isaac. You don't look as badly hurt as Scott said you'd be" that earned him a growl and he smiled "But I guess you're still not up for a fight, right?"

Derek glared at the teen, his growls growing louder the longer wolf spoke, but he was right. Even though his wounds were mostly closed, he still wasn't ready to take on the three betas. _But I will fight if I have to_. The young wolf seemed pretty calm if not bored of this interaction. Maybe he didn't see Derek as a threat. _Good._

Isaac took deep breath, trying to remain calm and unthreatening to the older wolf, but he wasn't sure if it was working considering the other was getting more agitated by the second. _Not a good start Isaac. _He looked away, hoping that would ease the tension a bit, but it backfired.

Derek leapt the second he looked away, grabbing the teen by his collar and throwing him out of the room. He turned for the window, hearing Isaac collide with the wall just as he dove out the opening, flipping around to land perfectly on his feet. He felt the wound on his side tear open and the others stretched uncomfortably, but he didn't stop and charged at the other two betas. They froze, unprepared for his sudden assault and were easily flung aside as Derek sprinted for the woods. The more he moved the faster the blood poured from his side, but he didn't stop. His chest lit up in pain as the slashes across his chest tore open and blood seeped through his shirt, but he kept going, his chest flaring in pain with every breath. He had to get away, needed to lose the betas before he could rest, but he could hear them following and even if they lost him, he was leaving blood behind with every step. It was only a matter of time before they caught him and then he would fight.

_Come on Stiles, just one more hour. Scratch that, hour and a half. _Stiles mumbled angrily as he made his way to Mr. Harris's classroom for detention. The rest of his classes after lunch were actually normal and uneventful, but he still managed to earn a detention from his favorite teacher. _That guy really needs a hobby._

"Stilinski!"

_And the joy keeps on coming._ He turned to face his other _favorite_ teacher "Hey coach. What's up?"

Finstock ignored the greeting and wrapped his arm around the teen's shoulders, continuing down the hall "I've got this great idea, but don't get too excited yet. We'll see how it works out tonight and go from there"

Stiles looked at the man questioningly, slightly worried for his wellbeing "If what works out?"

"You're playing tonight" his coach said off handedly as he continued to walk.

Stiles gawked at him in shock "Are you serious?" he didn't wait for a reply before breaking free from the man's hold and bouncing around the hallway in his excitement. _I'm gonna play. I get to play!_

Finstock actually waited a minute before stopping him "Shut up Stilinski" he was always amazed how a few little words could work on the hyperactive teen "Don't make me regret this" Stiles saluted him before walking away, barely stopping the bounce in his step. _Yup,_ _I'm going to regret this._

Allison met up with her dad outside of Stiles house. _ I could've been here sooner if someone had called or texted me!_ "What happened?"

"He's gone" Chris glanced over at her before returning to his search.

_How is he gone?! I gave you plenty of notice! _Allison didn't question him and began looking as well. The house looked completely normal and Stiles could've just left the window open. _With an injured werewolf in his house so his scent could waft out and attract unwanted attention, nope._ She gave up on the house and looked around the ground "Where do you think he went?"

"He ran" she turned to face her father again, but he was looking at an unnaturally dark piece of sidewalk. Chris didn't touch it; he didn't need to "From the looks of this, someone's chasing him"

_And you figured that out how?_ Allison walked over to him, confirming the spot to be blood. Chris didn't wait for her to put the pieces together as he checked over his equipment and picked out what he would need.

Allison walked over to him, grabbing her crossbow and following him into the woods while listening to her phone ring. _Come on Stiles, pick up!_ It went to voicemail and she hung up and jogged after her dad. _This can't get any worse._

Derek couldn't run anymore. He rested against a tree trying to catch his breath, blood still pouring from his wounds. He was doing a good job of ignoring it until night fell and the moon rose. _Why would they wait for the full moon?!_ The betas chasing him lost control instantly and began attacking him, adding more cuts to his collection. He couldn't afford to lose any more blood and was already having trouble staying in control. _At this rate-_

He roared when claws sliced into his back, his eyes flashing blue from rage. He turned to face his attacker-the female wolf- and dodged her next strike, kicking her away. The others didn't like that and circled him, growling at him and each other. Derek didn't move, trying to stop his transformation to no avail. Isaac lunged first, going for the head, but Derek grabbed his arm. He pulled trying to get his hand free while swiping with his other, leaving more cuts on the older wolf. Derek hissed at the pain before lifting the wolf and throwing him into the big guy trying to creep up on him. Hands locked around his neck and he instinctively reached back, grabbing a handful of long hair to keep the girl from biting his neck. She snapped her teeth, grazing the side of his face before he yanked her over his shoulder. Her neck snapped, echoing loudly in his ears, followed by angry growls. He dropped her and roared at the other two, eyes blazing and ready to fight. They roared back, but a louder roar drowned them out, scaring the betas into submission and putting Derek on edge.

Scott walked past the two in his normal form and stopped in front of them. He looked down at Erica, a growl building in his throat as he studied the unnatural angle of her neck before focusing on Derek, eyes blazing red. Derek braced himself, claws ready and teeth bared for whatever Scott would do. Scott's growl grew in volume as he walked towards the beta, fangs slowly growing in his mouth, but Derek only growled back. His instincts screamed at him to submit, but he ignored them. He wasn't going to submit and with the full moon over his head, he was craving a fight. Scott was two feet away when Derek lunged, one hand going for the stomach and the other his throat. Neither hit their mark and he was flung away.

Scott roared at the beta and leapt, swiping at his face with lengthening claws. Derek ducked and tackled the alpha, swiping with his own claws. His hands were easily caught and pinned behind him as Scott rolled them over and roared in his face, teeth inches from his neck. Fear shot through Derek and he slumped in the alpha's hold. _No, not now! _He growled at himself and jerked upwards, head-butting Scott in the mouth. Scott's head jerked back at the force, but nothing else. His hands tightened around Derek's wrists, claws digging in as he glared down into defiant blue eyes.

Scott shifted enough to pull the beta from beneath him and flung him into a tree.

Derek hit face first and dug his claws into the tree to avoid crumpling to the ground. His vision swam as he fought to remain standing, he pushed off the tree but was pushed back into it hard and he groaned as bark scraped against his wounds.

"Stop fighting me Derek!" Scott yelled in his ear, a sound bordering on demonic entwined with his voice. Derek's responded with a growl before Scott bit into the back of his neck. Pain raced up and down his spine as the alpha's teeth grazed against his vertebrae and rage along with it. He thrashed against the tree, causing more harm to himself in a desperate attempt to get away, but Scott didn't budge. The alpha's eyes flared in anger as he let go of the beta's neck. His body began to shift as he pushed Derek-who was still struggling-further into the tree. He waited for his snout to set in before taking all of the beta's neck in his mouth, fangs sinking in on either side and growling as he pushed him flat against the tree.

Derek froze, his mind going blank as his instincts took hold. His body went limp as exhaustion finally set in. Scott waited a moment longer before removing his fangs, gently licking the bite as he turned the other around and watched the blue of his eyes fade. Derek didn't fight as he was pulled into soft fur or when his head was pushed aside so the wolf could continue his licking. He couldn't move anymore and was too tired to try as his conscious faded.

Scott purred as he continued licking the beta's neck, helping the older wolf ease into sleep as he carefully lifted him off his feet. Joy bubbled in his chest and he threw his head back and howled, his two betas joining him. They didn't hold back and the sound echoed through the woods, reaching the Argent's ears and destroying whatever hope they had left.

Stiles screamed for all his worth as the buzzer went off, signaling their victory. Sure, he hadn't managed to score a single point, but he did a good job of passing it to the ones that did. The whole team circled around Jackson in a crushing group hug while Stiles hopped around them until he noticed their couch and bounded over to him. "Couch!" he yelled as he wrapped the man in a quick hug.

Finstock went stiff in his hold, but forced himself to relax as the teen pulled away "Stilinski, good job out there" he praised and watched the boys eyes light up. He clapped him on the shoulder "We'll work on your aim next practice and who knows, you might actually score in the next game"

_Next game?! _Stiles' mind couldn't process that "N-Next game? I'm in the next game?!"His answer was a quick nod and he wrapped the couch in another hug, blurting out thank you's in between his overzealous screams.

_Ok, that's enough for one night. _"Go thank Whittemore. It was his idea to put you in"

Stiles paused mid-sentence "….wha?"

Finstock merely nodded "Yeah, said you could have hidden potential like McCall"

_Scott._ Stiles' paled, remembering everything that happened today. Everything that's _been_ happening. _Jackson!_ He took off into the crowd without another word, pushing and shoving until he was in the center. Jackson was holding his hand up in triumph, thoroughly enjoying the attention when someone smashed into him. He stepped back to keep his balance and shoved at the familiar uniform, but the person didn't move.

"Jackson!" Stiles pressed a little closer, panic beginning to take hold. "Why'd you tell coach to let me play?!"

Jackson snorted and gave him a bored look "What, don't act like you didn't want to-"

"Jackson!" Stiles didn't have the patients for his arrogance right now, he just needed an answer.

Jackson relented and glared at the skittish teen "McCall ask me to. Probably felt bad that he wasn't there to help you keep the bench warm and besides…" he leaned forward to make sure Stiles heard the next part "He's not here tonight" he shoved again, this time succeeding in separating them before returning to his _adoring_ public.

Stiles didn't try to stop him. His whole body shook as his panic and fear overwhelmed him and only then did he hear the faint howling. _Derek._


	5. Chapter 5

Pain pulled Derek from his slumber. His entire body ached and his torso was on fire. He flinched when something wet pressed against his side and looked down to see what it was. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust and even then he could barely see anything. _My enhanced sight isn't working?_ He could just make out the silhouette of a person before glowing red eyes locked with his. _Scott?!_ He tensed as he held the others gaze, instincts refusing to let him move. _I lost….I submitted._

Scott broke eye contact and lowered himself out of Derek's view. The wolf strained his neck to follow, holding back a groan as more pain shot through him, but he could see now. The alpha was focused on the gash in his side, giving it a quick sniff before continuing to lick it clean. Derek shivered at the pain of something dragging against his wound, but quickly relaxed as the saliva cooled his heated skin and soothed the pain. He barely noticed when Scott straddled his hips, only when his tongue dragged across the cuts on his chest. He purred as the fire subsided and he could breathe with ease.

Scott purred back as he licked his way up to the bite on Derek's neck. The beta moved his head without any prompting, lost in the soothing touch of his alpha. He could feel his presence pressing against his mind as the wolf nuzzled and licked his neck. He pressed back, trying to break through his mind's barrier to reach the other wolf. The purring in his ear grew louder in appreciation and Scott continued his ministrations. His hands ran gently sliding up and down Derek's sides, careful of the open wounds as he slowly pressed his entire body into the wolf beneath him. _Scent marking me._

Derek's eyes shot open and he pushed with all the strength he could muster, throwing the teen off him and onto the floor with a yelp. _Great plan Derek. Piss him off again. _He tried to sit up, but barely pushed up with his elbows before the pain shot up his back and forced him to lay back down. He watched helplessly as Scott rose to his feet and stared down at him, eyes still glowing red. This time he looked away first and silently cursed himself for submitting. _I can't help it. I lost, I'm a part of his pack now._

Scott stared a little longer before grabbing the beta by his shoulders and rolling him onto his uninjured side. Derek tensed, prepared for the worst, but Scott merely laid down behind him and began licking his back. _That was from a beta. My healing's not working at all?! _He shivered as Scott made his way up and down the cuts stretching down his back before the soothing effects set in and he relaxed into the bed, quickly being lulled into sleep as he repeated his motion over the next slash.

Melissa woke up just as her alarm began to ring and quickly shut it off. _I can barely stand that sound and I don't have super hearing._ She quickly rose and began her routine-stripping, showering and dressing-before starting her new habit. She recently began setting her alarm two hours earlier than she used to, giving her the chance to check on her son and whichever wolves were currently in the house, maybe even make them breakfast if she could wake them up.

She left her shoes off and crept down the hall, thankful that the floor wasn't worn enough to creek. _One small blessing._ The guest room came up first and she cracked the door enough to poke her head in. All three betas were curled on the bed, the boys curled around Erica protectively in their sleep. _Yup, full house._ She left the door open a crack and continued down the hall to her son's room, flinching when the knob squeaked. She stuck her head in, hoping that she hadn't disturbed his sleep and nearly fell into the room in surprise. Scott slept on top of his covers comfortably curled around another man. _I guess that's the wolf he was looking for…or maybe he turned another._ She stepped into the room as quietly as she could, studying the scene before her.

Scott's face was pressed into the man's neck with one hand draped over his waist and other against his back. He twitched and Melissa held her breath, hoping she didn't wake him up. Scott moved his head a bit, visibly scenting the air before pressing back against the other more possessively. _Definitely the wolf he was looking for. _She circled the bed to survey the latest addition, who slept soundly despite the shifting behind him. Melissa was tempted to go further, but decided to wait until he was awake. She quickly made her way out of the room-leaving the door open-and down to the kitchen plotting what to make for breakfast and how to wake up the wolves.

Stiles could barely contain himself as he went through his day. He quickly grabbed lunch and made his way over to the wolf table. The occupants barely spared him a glance before returning to their meals, but Stiles wasn't' going to let that last. He set his tray down with a bang, startling everyone but the alpha "What did you do?" he saw Isaac's eyes flash, but ignored it. "You asked Jackson to get me in the game last night-"

Scott looked up and smiled at him "You found out about that?" Jackson flinched and slid further away, but Scott ignored him "I heard you guys won. Good job" he went back to his meal.

_Oh no you don't._ Stiles stood up and walked around the table, shoving his friend over so he could sit next to him "What happened to Derek?"

"Stiles!" Jackson hissed at him and was backed up by the growling betas.

"Tell me what you did to Derek!" he bumped against the alpha and the growls grew louder.

Scott looked around the table, silencing his pack before turning casually to face his friend "Why do you care? You never liked him. In fact, I remember you asking me to let him die" the last part was growled and his eyes flashed black before returning to their usual brown.

Stiles just barely stopped himself from flinching, but he knew the wolves could hear his heart rate spike "Scott, you've been acting freaky ever since you became an alpha. The Argents are-" he paused and tried to compose himself "Just tell me what you did to him. Is he dead?"

Scott stared at him, he wanted to smirk at his quirky friends panicked behavior, but the smell of fear and concern coming off him in waves kept him from expressing his joy "He's not dead" Stiles perked up at that response, but Scott didn't elaborate further. He tried to wait him out, but the alpha proved to have more patience. He gave up and took his food to go sit with Allison.

Isaac watched him leave before turning back to his alpha "What are you going to do with him?"

"The same I do with you three"

Isaac bit his tongue to stop a growl "What, train? You said he's been a wolf all his life" Scott didn't look up from his food. "Do you even care about us? He snapped Erica's neck!"

"And she healed"

That statement somehow made him angrier "Are we just your guard dogs?!" he couldn't stop the growl this time. The others tensed and glanced at their fellow beta in concern while Jackson shied further away.

Scott finally looked up from his plate, more annoyed than anything. He reached out to his beta, wrapping him in love and comfort until he felt the loneliness and agitation ebb. "None of you are my _guard dogs_" he reached out to the others and once they calmed down he returned to his meal.

Stiles plopped down in his seat, scaring Allison out of whatever she was thinking about-Lydia didn't even flinch-and took a few bites of food. "Derek's alive in case you're wondering" he glanced over at the wolves and took another bite.

"Scott tell you that?" she sounded distant and a bit skeptical.

Stiles turned to look at her and confirmed that she was indeed crying "Yes he did actually"

Allison looked down, stirring her food around, but not actually eating "Did he tell you anything…useful?"

Stiles ignored the question "Are you ok?"

The lie was on the tip of her tongue, but he gave her the _don't even try it _look "My aunt's funeral is tomorrow" she looked away and wiped her eyes "My boyfriend is a psychotic werewolf who wants my family dead and my grandfather's coming"

_Ok, definitely not ok._ "Well, your grandfather doesn't sound so bad" he was hoping for a snarky comment back or at least a glare, but she just went back to stirring her food quietly. Stiles tapped his fork in irritation before realization dawned on him. _Lydia's sitting next to me and I'm talking about this. Stiles, you're an idiot._ He turned to his other friend "Hi Lydia" no response "How's your day been going?"

Lydia didn't respond, and Stiles wasn't even sure if she was listening to him as she continued drawing with an unreadable expression. _Ok, everyone's having a rough day._ He tapped some more before continuing to eat.

Derek groaned as the sun beamed in his eyes. No matter how much he tried, it wouldn't go away. He gave up trying to sleep and opened his eyes, glaring at the open window before sitting up. The movement made him light headed and little tendrils of pain shot through him, but it was more tolerable than before.

"Oh good, you're awake" Derek jumped at her sudden appearance, but Melissa ignored it. She didn't know what to expect when she decided to come up here, so a startled but calm werewolf sitting up in bed was a relief. She walked in carrying a tray of food, giving him a quick once over "I see those cuts are finally healing. Do you still feel any pain?" he answered with a growl. _And here comes the hostility._

Derek wanted her out. It was bad enough that he was even here in this house to begin with, but he didn't want to deal with the occupants too. He growled again when she approached him.

"You can do that all you want, but it's not going to stop me" She plopped the tray on his lap and continued her examination. All his cuts had closed up, leaving angry red line all over his body "You missed breakfast, so I made something for you before I head out" he kept glaring "You know, I was hoping that we could talk when you woke up. Exchange notes on what's going on-" she ran her hand over the side of his neck, feeling the indents from the healing bite.

Derek flinched away and grabbed her hand, a violent growl building in his throat as his fangs lengthened and his eyes flared blue. Melissa screamed as she tried to pull her hand free with no success and the grip only tightened.

"Derek!"

He froze at that growled word and released his hold on the nurse, looking down and away from the source. Melissa stumbled back and rubbed her wrist to try and relieve the soreness while she moved towards the door.

Scott looked at her briefly before returning his gaze to the beta. "That wasn't nice Derek" he growled as he approached the bed.

Derek felt himself tremble in fear and cursed his instincts. He forced himself to look up at the approaching teen, glaring to show some defiance.

Scott growled lightly and his eyes flickered red at the defiant beta, but he didn't act "Even if she's not a wolf, you should respect my _mother_ as you would any other member of this pack"

"I didn't want to be in this pack" he growled back, his throat constricting in an effort to stop him.

They stared at each other quietly while Melissa fidgeted by the door. _Shouldn't have touched him. Should've known that he wouldn't be…tame yet._ "Scott, I'm going to head out-"

"Ok, I'll walk you out" he didn't look at her as he took the tray from Derek. Derek watched him go, holding eye contact until the alpha turned away and closed him in the room.

"Mom" she didn't respond and quickened her pace, but he stayed right behind her. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be" she grabbed her purse and checked for her keys "I shouldn't have gone in there. No one adjusts that fast"

"Mom"

He grabbed her arm and she placed her hand over his "It's ok. I'm ok, just going to focus on work for a while" she smiled to ease the tension. _That doesn't work on wolves. They can smell fear._ Scott nodded and watched her leave, listening to her drive away before heading to the kitchen.

Derek listened to their conversation, trying to find out what they planned to do with him, but with no success. _Now I know why Scott's so softhearted….was. _He flinched when irritation swarmed around him entwined with disappointment and concern. _The bond?_ Derek was shocked, the bond should've taken days to set in, but he could feel the others emotions and it hadn't even been 24 hours. Concern pushed more firmly and Derek growled, pulling away from the emotion and closing himself off. Just because he was forced to submit didn't mean he would actively participate in pack bonding. He felt the other give up, the emotions leaving all together, but with any luck Scott would soon grow tired of his defiance and just kill him. He layed back down as exhaustion set in and plotted until he fell asleep.

"I got this"

"I'll only be another hour, maybe two at the most"

Stile rolled his eyes "Seriously Dad, I got this. It' not the first time I've been home alone"

The following silence let him know that he's failed to reassure the sheriff "Just…don't do anything….that you would think is a good idea"

_Thanks for the vote of confidence_ "Relax, I'm doing my homework, maybe I'll surf the internet, my usual stuff" he heard his dad sigh "See you when you get home" he hung up without another word. _Ok, I got an hour. _Stiles hopped out of his jeep and walked into the hospital. Thankfully there were no recent disaster, so the hospital was quiet and empty at this time of night. He quickly found his target sitting behind the front desk typing away. "Hi Mrs. McCall"

Melissa looked up at the teen. _Should've known this would happen._ "Stiles" she nodded in her usual greeting for the teen "What are you doing here?"

He leaned against the counter casually and shoved his hands in his pockets to hide his twitching digits "What's going on with Scott?" he watched her expression closely and stopped her before she could speak "Please don't say something like _he's devoted himself to school._ We both know what he is"

Melissa glared at him "And what do you want me to tell you Stiles?"

He leaned closer, one hand gripping the counter so he didn't fall "I want to know what he's up to. He hasn't spoken to me in weeks and he caught Derek last night. _I know you know who that is_"

Melissa stared at him blankly as she went over his words. _I could tell him._ She thought about what Scott had told her the night he walked in filthy and clothes torn. Her initial reaction was to freak out, but he gave her time to adjust and now she could see the big picture. "He'll tell you when he wants you to know"

_Not if he kills me._ "Can you at least tell me what he did with Derek?"

She gave him another blank stare, this time to hide her unease about her meeting with said wolf earlier. She could tell him where he is, but then Stiles would show up at her home demanding to see him and she wasn't sure how the young betas would handle that "He's safe" his eyes widened and he began rocking back in forth against the counter, but Melisa was done "You'll just have to wait until Scott's ready for you to know" she went back to her typing "Now go home before your dad starts worrying.

Stiles wasn't ready to leave. He thought for sure that Mrs. McCall would give him answers or something that he could use to make a plan. _What did you tell her Scott? Did you tell her anything?_ A quick glance at his phone had him running out the door, his hour was almost up and he was not getting busted tonight.

He was surrounded by the softest cushion he's ever felt, but at the same time he couldn't touch it. He tried to pull away from it, but it only wrapped more firmly around him so he gave up and sunk back into its warmth. It pressed closer and Derek could feel love and comfort radiating through him. He opened up to it, expressing his contentment and felt pride join the other emotions. Derek ignored it-not sure what it was there for-as he wrapped around the other feelings, craving more. They reciprocated, but something was different. The emotions were the same, but it felt like his mind was stretching. Derek panicked and tried to pull away, but it wouldn't let go. The feelings intensified, trying to sooth the wolf while it pulled more of his mind to somewhere unknown, but that didn't help. His mind stretched painfully and Derek fought more, expressing his pain and discomfort in an attempt to reason with it.

"Don't fight me, Derek" he froze. The voice was soft and pleading, easing some of his pain, but not his discomfort. The pain quickly returned and he struggled some more, ignoring the voice and feelings.

Derek shot up straight, his heart racing and he was covered in sweat. He looked around just to confirm he was still in Scott's room before slumping in relief. _What was that? _He jumped again when he felt something brush against his mind; multiple minds expressing their concern. He ignored them and the growing comfort as he forced himself up onto his feet. _No dizzy spells or pain, good sign._ He walked into the bathroom and turned on the cold water, splashing it on his face to help him calm down and push away the pressing emotions. It wasn't working and they were becoming more demanding. He tried to push them off, but that caused a wave of dizziness and he leaned against the sink to steady himself.

Hands wrapped around his waist and pulled him back into a broad chest. Derek twitched slightly, scenting that it was one of Scott's betas-the largest one-but didn't pull away. One of the minds pushed more firmly against his and he let it in, enjoying the love and comfort as it swept away his dizziness. The teen nuzzled his neck and he purred, leaning back to get more attention. The other minds pushed against his walls and he let them in too, turning in the teens grip to return the attention. For a moment everything was perfect, he was in a pack that cared and he felt whole. _They're not my pack! _Anger shocked him back to reality, automatically shoving the minds away as he shoved the teen.

Boyd wasn't expecting the hostility and flew back into the bedroom, smashing into the wall at the far end of the room. Neither wolf had time to move before their alpha was in the room, accessing the damage before glaring at the older wolf, eyes blazing red. Derek looked away as a form of submission, but he couldn't quite pull it off with anger radiating off him. He just wanted them to leave, so he could think _alone._

"Derek" Scott commanded his attention and he looked, glaring into red eyes. He felt his expression dull as he was drawn forward until he was towering over the teen, barely an inch between them. _What's going on?! _He raged in his mind, but his body wouldn't move.

Scott held his gaze, acknowledging the anger swirling in Derek's eyes before turning to inspect his beta "You ok Boyd?" He nodded as he used Scott's desk to stand up and froze at the sound of cracking. Scott looked passed him and noticed the in-caved wall. _Mom's going to love that._

"Sorry" Boyd mumbled, knowing just what the hole meant.

Scott waved it off "We'll fix it later" _Maybe before she notices. _He gestured for Boyd to walk out and followed him. Derek quietly watched them go, still angry that he had acted against his will. "Derek" Scott stopped just outside the door and Derek knew what he wanted. He didn't want to go, but he still walked over to the alpha and followed him down stairs to the kitchen, glaring at the alpha the while time.

All conversation stopped when he walked in, heads turning to stare. Scott went back to his seat and continued to eat his breakfast and Boyd followed, but Derek stayed by the door frame.

Scott perked up suddenly, drawing everyone's attention "Oh, I forgot! This is Erica, Isaac and Boyd" he gestured at the three "Guys, this is Derek" they greeted him awkwardly, but he ignore them. The boys were fine, but he could smell the fear coming from the girl-_I did break her neck_-and some more from someone else in this room.

"Derek, good morning" Melisa chimed in from the stove. She tried to glance over her shoulder at him while she cooked "I'm just finishing up your breakfast, please sit" Scott bristled at those words. She had been cooking her own food, no one was expecting Derek to come down.

Derek reluctantly sat down next to Scott and Melisa placed a plate of food in front of him, but he made no move to eat.

Melisa laughed nervously and returned to the stove to make her meal "So Scott, any lacrosse practice today?"

"Yeah" the wolves turned to him, sensing the lie "I'll come home right after" he stared at Derek as he sat there placidly and felt the growl building, but he stopped it. "I have a few things to take care of" he grabbed the betas shoulder and squeezed gently, getting his attention. He felt his eyes burning as he stared into green ones "Eat your food" he watched Derek's expression soften before he turned to slowly eat. The others turned to their alpha in shock, waiting for an explanation, but they didn't get one. Scott just smiled and grabbed his plate "We're going to head out now"

Melisa jumped at that "But what about-"

"Don't worry" he dropped his plate in the sink and kissed her cheek "I got it covered" he walked back over to the table as the others got up "Derek" he looked up from his plate into red eyes "You are not allowed to leave the property, understand?" he nodded and Scott's smile grew.

Melisa watched in disbelief as her son left with the others before looking at Derek, expecting some kind of violence, but he just sat quietly and continued to eat. _Hopefully you're still here when I get home._ She went back to cooking and cursed quietly when she saw her burnt eggs.

Allison wasn't sure how much more of this she could take as her parents guided her through a crowd of reporters. She watched the ground dance with light as camera's flashed and mikes were shoved into her face, but quickly pushed away. They guided her all the way into her chair and sat down on either side of her, but she never looked up. _Don't cry. Don't cry._ She just kept repeating her mantra over and over as she felt her eyes burn and the tears build. Something white blocked her vision and she jumped before realizing it was a tissue.

"Don't let them see you cry" she accepted the tissue and wiped her eyes before looking up at the man with a forced smile.

Stiles watched from a distance, peaking around the side of a large sculpture. _That must be her grandfather. Wonder what she was so worried about._

"He doesn't look like much" Stile bit his tongue and covered his mouth to avoid screaming in terror as he turned around. Scott was smirking at him, clearly proud of scaring his friend. _Son of a_-"I don't see why she was so worried"

"What are you doing here?!" He hissed, checking to make sure the Argents hadn't noticed him before focusing on the wolf again.

Scott shrugged and it irked Stiles how very Scottish it was "Just passing by, seeing who the new Argent was"

"You mean how many you have to kill" Scott stared blandly at him, but Stiles wasn't done "When are you going to stop terrorizing people? When we're all dead? Is that your solution now, killing whoever you don't like?"

"Terrorizing?" He repeated and Stiles wanted so badly to shove his head into the statue behind him.

"Yes terrorizing! You want me to spell it for you!" he turned to check on the funeral again.

Scott thought about it and nodded even though his friend wasn't looking "I'll have to fix that"

"What do you mean _fix it_?" he glanced back at the wolf, but Scott was gone. _Now he's freaking Batman!_ He focused on the funeral again, but a hand grabbed his collar and yanked him away. He flailed for a moment until he saw the all too familiar person "H-Hi Dad"

Derek washed his plate when he finished eating. He washed all the dishes in the sink, then the sink and moved onto the counter. Anything to burn some energy, he hadn't done any serious exercise since the full moon and it was starting to get to him. Push-ups weren't helping and the property was too small to run laps. _I have to get out of here._ Scraping dragged him from his thoughts and he noticed he'd moved to scrubbing the floor. His claws were out and scraped against the tile, leaving little scratches. _Why am I cleaning?_ He wasn't surprised that he'd shifted considering all the stress he's been bottling, but he was not going to clean his captor's home. He stood up, leaving the rag on the ground and headed outside. He walked as far as he could, which-to his dismay-was only to the edge of the backyard porch. He sat down and stared out at the yard, his leg bouncing with repressed energy and rage. He barely sensed when someone approached him and sat next to him, he was too busy fighting off the sudden gush of emotions pressing against his mind to pay much attention.

"Hi Derek. How was your day?"

Derek glanced over at the alpha, showing disdain in his glowing blue eyes "Why?" growls mixed with his voice as he fought to control his transformation.

Scott ignored the hostility and opened up completely, wrapping around the older wolf's mind as he leaned towards him "Why what?"

"WHY?!" Derek turned to face him, growling with a promise of violence "Why did you do this to me?!" the feelings were more persistent now and he was having trouble fending them off.

Scott smiled, he could feel Derek's emotions seeping through his defenses and wrapped around the tendrils "You were a lone beta, an omega. We're safer in packs, we're stronger-"

"I didn't want to _be_ in a pack!"

Scott took his outburst in stride "Sure you do. Every wolf wants to"

"I wanted to die" Derek tried to pull back, but his barrier was crumbling and the alpha kept pulling more of him into the open.

Scott barely stopped a growl "No" he stopped tearing at Derek's defenses and seeped in through the cracks "I wanted you in my pack. I _needed_ you to be!" he watched the wolf flinch and softened his grip on his mind "Derek, you're the first wolf I ever met…" he smiled sheepishly "…well, technically the second, but that doesn't matter" he scooted a little closer "You helped me when I was turned and now I have the power to help you" he scooted some more, but Derek growled and he stopped.

"I don't need your help" he could feel everything the alpha felt and he wasn't sure if he could handle it so he lashed out, trying to free his mind with no success.

"Yes you do" he ignored the beta's attacks and pressed on with soothing touches "You want a pack like any other wolf, even more so since you lost your own" Derek looked away and he felt the hurt and guilt coming off him in waves. "You don't have to remain alone to honor their memory. You don't have to die" he nuzzled the side of his neck as he wrapped his arms around him. "Let me help you, let the pack help you"

Derek couldn't fight the feelings anymore as they soothed his ache. He listened to his alpha's words and relaxed, leaning towards him. Scott purred as the mental barrier collapsed. He watched the beta's features shift back to their human state as he pulled him into a more comfortable position against his chest and leaned back against the house. Derek purred; it felt so good to let go, to feel a mind entwined with his own after so long. Even though he still had his sister after the fire, they never really connected those six years. Both of them were too hurt to try…and then she was gone. He couldn't help but pull at the other's mind, his attention deprived soul craving more. Scott chuckled as the beta tugged at his mind and nipped him playfully. Derek purred louder as the attention increased and he leaned more into the other. He almost fell asleep when he felt his mind stretching painfully. _Not again._ Fear shocked him into action and he tried to pull away mentally and physically, but Scott held firm to both.

_Don't fight me Derek._

He froze at the sound from inside his head. It was the same one from his nightmare, but it was so familiar. _Scott?_

_Please don't fight me._ He pleaded and Derek could feel his stress, how close he was to losing it. _Please._

_That wasn't a dream. You did this to me last night._ Derek was more shocked than anything at this strange connection they were sharing.

_I didn't mean to._ He whimpered and buried his face in Derek's shoulder. _I need to. I was asleep and you were so close, it just happened… _Scott rambled on until they turned into whimpers and pleas.

Derek wasn't really sure what was going on, but he couldn't ignore his alpha's pleas, his instincts wouldn't let him. He nuzzled under his chin and purred. The pulling resumed, Derek ignored it and focused on the other's mind as Scott wrapped him in love and licked his cheek in appreciation. The discomfort eased into a dull pleasure, fatigue set in and Derek was soon lulled to sleep by the purring in his ear.

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Ok, now that you've read the chapter, answer me this. Is my writing style consistent? I think it is, but I'd like another's opinion, please! And thank you everyone who reviewed, they really do stop me from getting bored or procrastinating.


	6. Chapter 6

Alright, new chapter's finally up! This turned out way longer than I thought it would be, plus I went over all the other chapters (editing out mistakes, and adding to the last chapter) to make sure that I was being clear enough with the ever so slowly moving plot. Also, for those who left a comment. No, this is NOT a slash fic. There's enough of that for this show as is. Also, I did not pick mainly Scott and Allison, I picked Scott and Derek with Stiles and Allison, but the site flipped it around like that and I haven't been able to fix it. Ok, no more spoilers, enjoy and drop a comment for me after please! :)

* * *

Allison stumbled again on an unforeseen root as she followed her dad through the woods.

"Don't fall behind" Chris threw over his shoulder.

She glared at where she assumed his head was. Allison was normally really good at navigating this area, but she's never tried to do it at four in the morning with close to no sleep. Apparently her parents plan B in dealing with the alpha problem was for her to be as well trained as her father could teach her in a short amount of time, just in case. _Would Scott really come for us? Would he kill us?_

She stumbled again and cursed "How much farther are we going?" No response "Dad?" _Don't tell me I lost him._

"Remember, werewolves won't hesitate to use their enhanced senses. In the dark, you're at a disadvantage" Chris' words echoed around her. "You need to be smarter than them"

"So, I need to outsmart you?" She huffed. There was no way she was pulling that off.

"No" he chuckled "First you have to find me"

Allison looked in every direction, but she couldn't see anything that resembled the shape of a person. _Great, just what I wanted to do today._

Derek didn't want to wake up, he was too comfortable.

"How long are you going to sleep?" He grumbled at the all too amused comment and buried his face in the pillow to keep the light out. Scott smiled at the older wolf's antics and snuggled closer, nuzzling his neck "Come on, you can't sleep in on a Saturday"

"Watch me" Derek grumbled into the pillow. He was paying for whatever Scott did to him with the worst headache he's ever had. He heard the alpha huff in defeat before continuing his nuzzling, slowly wrapping his body around him. Derek growled and pushed the other away, lifting his head up to glare at the teen.

Scott blinked at him questioningly before sighing "Don't tell me you're fighting the bond again"

Derek buried his face in the pillow again. He still wasn't sure what happened yesterday, but he couldn't fight the pack bond anymore. Fighting only caused him pain and it felt too good to feel others again. _Well, Scott at least._ He couldn't feel the others betas at the moment. He felt Scott shift closer and growled at him "Stop doing that"

"What?" Scott tried to play innocent, but he couldn't hide the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Derek glared at him "Look, I'm not going to fight the bond, so stop trying to scent mark me"

"I can't help it" he wrapped the beta in a hug and nuzzled his neck "You reek of Stiles"

_I knew it! _He growled softly in acknowledgment and Scott took it as his cue to press closer. Derek growled louder and pushed the alpha away "Then I'll take a shower" the teen pouted and then whined as Derek stood up from the bed. _Childish brat._

Scott sat up slowly, a devious smile growing on his face to match his mischievous eyes. He crouched on the bed and purred, getting the beta's attention before he leapt. Derek hit the ground hard and groaned as his head pounded harder. Scott ignored his pain, quickly grabbing both his wrist and holding them besides his head, leaning down to brush their noses together while he purred. Derek growled and rolled them over, easily breaking out of the teen's hold, but he didn't have time to do anything else before they flipped again.

"Give up Derek. You can't beat me" he nuzzled his cheek.

Derek tried to roll to the side, but the teen held him down chest to chest_. Plan B._ He pushed up with his feet as hard as he could, flipping their positions and crushing the teen with his body weight "Can't I?" He lifted up enough to show his triumphant smile.

Scott took a moment to regain the air that was crushed out of him "Ok…good effort, but…" he leaned up and licked the side of Derek's neck, shocking him into loosening his grip enough for Scott to flip them again "…you're still not going to win"

Derek composed himself and glared up at the teen "Was that really necessary?"

"No" he hummed, leaning down to nuzzle the betas neck "But your face was priceless" Derek growled, but he didn't get the chance to act before the door was flung open and they looked over at a pissed mother.

Melissa assumed the worst when she heard a bang through the wall and came running. She was not expecting the two wolves to be wrestling on the floor. _I need a spray bottle, maybe a rolled up newspaper._ She looked about the room in repressed horror. The bed had been pushed over, but otherwise unharmed. Random items that were once on the desk were strewn about the floor…and there was a large human size in-cave in the wall.

Scott followed his mother's line of site and flinched when they met the wall "Yeah, about that…" she shifted her gaze to him and he smiled sheepishly "that was his fault" he pointed at the beta beneath him.

Derek glared at the alpha, but didn't say anything when Melissa looked at him with as much disapproval as she could muster. "I'm going to start on breakfast. Are the others coming over Scott?"

"Yeah" he jumped at the change of subject "They should be here soon"

"Ok" she nodded and stepped back through the door frame "Derek" he perked up, letting her know he was listening "You broke it, so you're responsible for fixing it" she put as much authority into her voice as possible, hoping to have some sort of effect on the wolf_. At least he's not being hostile…I guess._

Scott sighed in relief when she finally left before being shoved away. Derek sat up and glared, but Scott only laughed "What? You were the one that broke it" that earned him a hard punch in the arm and he laughed some more until he noticed how serious the beta was "Come on Derek, lighten up a little"

Derek just crossed his arms "This could've all been avoided if you hadn't tackled me"

"I couldn't help it. You're practically screaming for some exercise" he shrugged and began collecting the strewn about pens and papers "And you called me childish"

Derek tensed and watched as the teen cleaned the floor. _Scott?_

"Yeah?" He glanced back at the beta to see what he wanted and turned fully when he saw his worried expression "What?"

_We're still connected._ Scott looked confused before his face lit up in realization. _Is this supposed to happen?_

"I don't know" Derek gawked at him. Actually gawked "What, I didn't know this would happen"

"You knew how to do it" he deadpanned

"Yeah, but I didn't know you'd do it back!" Scott defended a little louder than necessary.

Derek just looked at him; trying to recall everything that happened yesterday "I didn't do that. I don't even know how to-"

"Yes you did" Scott cut him off "You fell asleep and started tugging back" he got up to fix his desk "I know why you were fighting me now. That was really...uncomfortable at first"

Derek didn't comment and focused on this new link. He could completely feel Scott's mind. His emotions, surface thoughts and something else he couldn't place "You said you needed to do it yesterday. Why, what's this link mean?" he waited for a response, but Scott didn't give him one. "Scott?" the teen finished with his desk and moved onto his bed, tugging it back into place before trying to straighten out the sheets. Derek sighed and stood up "_Scott?_" he hesitated before placing a hand on the alpha's shoulder, feeling his muscles relax "I need to know what's going on"

_You're still fighting._ Scott turned to face him with a sad smile.

Allison laid flat on the ground; she was already a mess from stumbling around in the dark and falling as she searched for her father. She found him just before the sun rose and only because he was clicking something loud for her to follow. _Some hunter you are. Doing the family name proud._

"Not bad for your first try" he smiled when she groaned "Most hunters don't succeed the first time"

"You gave me a handicap"

"Everyone gets a handicap" he checked his phone for any messages before sticking it back in his pocket "Let's try something else-"

"After you get some lunch" Allison sat up to see her savior, but deflated when she saw who it was. Gerard grabbed Chris' shoulder and smiled at his granddaughter "Why don't you head home and get something to eat" as grateful as she was, she didn't want to leave the two in the middle of the woods "I just need to talk to your father about something. We'll meet you back at the house" still, she waited for her father's discreet nod before making her way back the way they'd come. _Hot shower, here I come._

"What is it?" Chris only waited until his daughter was out of sight to begin their conversation. He didn't want to be around this man any longer than necessary.

"I heard about the body you found" Gerard's smile didn't fade, but it did take on a malicious twist "What exactly was the condition it was in?"

"Torn to shreds, why?"

Gerard nodded thoughtfully, crossing his arms behind his back as he paced around "I was hoping for a little less gore. Something that resembles mine"

_Mine?_ "What do you mean?" his father glanced at him over his shoulder with that same smile before heading off into the woods. Chris followed behind him and they walked in silence for miles. The longer Gerard stayed quiet, the more Chris' mind raced with possibilities. _Did Scott kill again? _He shook his head at the idea. He didn't have proof that the alpha had killed at all and now he's accusing him of another murder. _There's no way a human managed that kind of carnage. _He looked around as they started passing hunters, armed and ready as they stood guard.

"What do you know about the wolves in the area?"

"Nothing much" he could feel the disapproval coming off his dad in waves "They've been quiet since the alpha's death"

"And you left them alone?" _t__here's the disapproval. _"You let murderers roam free"

"I can't kill them without proof" Chris argued

Gerard scoffed "They're monsters. What more do you need?"

"We go by a code"

"Not anymore we don't" Gerard stop and looked at his son with forced ease, furry blazing in his eyes "Not when they kill my daughter" he looked ahead and Chris followed his gaze. There was another body-unlike the first one-mostly intact, but just as bloody with large chunks missing from the meatier parts of the body. "We'll hunt them down" Chris looked at his father, but the man stayed focused on the body "And kill them all"

Breakfast was just how Isaac liked it. His pack huddled around a table shoveling down food in between casual conversation. It was little moments like this that made him glad he agreed to take the bite. He still loved his dad, but things between them had...changed. Here he felt at home, wanted and he could feel that same feeling coming from the other betas except one. Derek wasn't really participating other than eating. He glanced over at the newest member of their family as he sat quietly eating his breakfast. Derek looked up at him with a mild glare before returning to his meal, but Isaac held his gaze as he carried on eating and dropped a comment here and there to whatever conversation the others jumped to. He knew his alpha was watching him and it was confirmed when he felt concern waft over him. He brushed back with reassuring feelings until Scott backed off, leaving him to whatever he was up to.

Isaac redirected his attention to the older beta and reached out through the bond. He shifted pass Boyd and Erica, familiar enough with their minds to distinguish which was whose-there was no mistaking Scott's-until he found the one he didn't recognize drifting far away from the others. He brushed up against it, but it flinched away and Derek physically tensed. Isaac held his breath and tried again, gently pressing against the beta's mind. He didn't retreat this time, but he didn't make an effort to let Isaac in either.

Derek was surprised when a mind brushed against his and flinched away, not expecting the contact. It didn't feel like Scott or the beta from yesterday. _Must be…Isaac._ It brushed again and he ignored it. He wasn't going to fight, but that didn't mean he had to participate.

Isaac hummed thoughtfully as he brushed his mind against the other, trying to find a way past his defenses, but couldn't come up with anything. A loud bang pulled him from his concentration and he jumped at the sudden appearance of Erica all too close to his face. "Are you even listening?"

"Huh?" was his intelligent response and she sighed.

Boyd came to his rescue before she could start berating him "We're going to head out" he shrugged defensively when the girl pouted at him, but the effect was lost with the smile on his face.

Isaac wasn't happy either. Trying to connect with Derek took too much concentration as it was. He didn't think he could do it while out walking around "What for?"

"Air, sunlight; the fact it's a beautiful Saturday morning. Take your pick" Scott smiled at him, the sarcasm clear in his voice, but it didn't have the same feel that Isaac was used to hearing. _Great, a mourning person._

Scott chuckled to himself, feeling the slight irritation from his beta. Sure, he could've given him a real answer. _But where's the fun in that. _He began cleaning the table, the other teens helping him tidy up. It felt great to be around them and feel _all_ of them. Derek was still being distant, but kept his word and wasn't pushing away anymore. _I guess that's progress._

Once they were done, he bounded outside and the others followed, surprise beaming through there bond as they ran after him. He stopped on the lawn and stretched, giving them a moment to relax as he basked in the open space. He loved his house, but it was too….cramped for him recently.

"Scott"

"Hmm?" he glanced back at the tallest wolf, but he was looking at the house. Derek stood just inside the doorframe staring at the ground with a deep scowl. "Derek?" the older wolf looked up at him "What are you doing? Come on"

"…I can't"

Scott looked at him confused. _Can't?_

Derek glared at him "You told me not to leave the property" he watched as realization dawned on the teens' faces.

"But I said property. Why are you stuck in the house?"

"I don't know your property's boundaries, so my instincts keep me in the house" _Why do I even need to explain this to you?_

_Was I supposed to know that?_ A growl answered him.

Boyd looked between the two in confusion before settling on his alpha "I don't get it. Can't you just command him to come out?"

"…Probably"

"Probably?!" everyone echoed his words.

Scott shrugged and smiled sheepishly "I uh, I'm not quite sure how" there was silence as everyone stared in disbelief and Scott fidgeted under their scrutiny.

Isaac broke the silence "How are you not sure? You commanded him to stay in there-"

"For the first time" the stares continued and Scott could feel a mix of disbelief, anger and mirth drifting through the bond. "Give me a little slack. It's not like I was trained to be an alpha" he protested.

"Ok, so...try commanding him again" Erica encouraged, trying to hide her smile.

_What have I got to lose? _He looked at Derek, holding eye contact as he reached for the burning feeling he felt yesterday "Come here Derek" the wolf didn't move.

"Maybe you should whistle" Isaac felt Derek's glare as he stared into his alpha's "What, it's worth a try"

"Don't. You. Dare" Derek said through gritted teeth, the growl in his voice making it harder to understand him.

"Wasn't planning to" Scott responded, still glaring at the beta.

Isaac put his hands up in surrender "Ok fine, really bad idea. What are you going to do?"

_Good question._

Scott glanced at the older wolf with a weaker glare. Their eyes locked and he felt it. "I've got an idea"

Derek couldn't look away as Scott approached him. Couldn't look away from his brown eyes as shocks ran through his body and his mind numbed. _Scott, what are you doing?_

The alpha smiled and continued his approach. _Just relax._ He stopped just outside the door, keeping his eyes locked with the beta as he raised his hand "Let's go Derek"

He just looked at the hand, not sure what to do with it. Part of him wanted to reach for it, accept his alpha's help and move on, but the rest of him…

_You're still fighting._

Derek looked up and Scott could see the conflict swirling in his eyes. _It's not something I can just stop doing._

_Yes, you can. _Scott's eyes burned as he stared into Derek's. He felt the beta's growing anxiety, but he didn't resist. Scott could feel everything now, he could even physically see and outline around Derek, an aura that bounced and twirled around him. _Just stop fighting, please._

This didn't feel like before. There was no pain or uncomfortable stretching, but he could feel the alpha's mind entwined with his own and it was…right. He took Scott's hand and the smile on the teen's face was almost blinding as he pulled him outside.

Scott stopped short of hugging him and turned to leave, dragging the beta along "Great, now let's go"

"That was a command?" Isaac was confused. He could tell that some unspoken conversation had passed between the two, but not how Derek could suddenly leave the house.

"No" Scott kept walking "I asked him nicely"

Isaac walked besides him, showing his disbelief "And that worked?"

"That or when he yanked me out of the house" Derek smirked at the alpha as the grip on his hand tightened.

"It worked, didn't it" Scott growled over his shoulder.

"Ok, great" Erica stopped in front of them, effectively ending the argument and bringing them to a stop. "So what are we doing today?" all eyes turned to the alpha.

Scott was used to the attention and casually let go of Derek to cross his arms. He hummed quietly, tapping his finger against his chin as he thought. "Well…" he smiled and felt the unease spread through the group "You'll have to catch me first" with that he was gone, leaving the betas to chase after him.

Derek took off after him with Isaac close behind and Boyd watched them go. Erica patted his shoulder as the others disappeared into the distance "Don't worry, you'll get it eventually"

Boyd only nodded. _No point in smiling when she can tell it's not genuine._ "I hope that's soon" he started running and Erica kept pace besides him.

Derek hadn't noticed that half the group was left behind, too focused on his current goal. _Just wait until I caught you. _He felt the alpha's mirth and ran faster.

Isaac was barely keeping up with him and didn't like the sudden increase._ Is he trying to lose me? _He followed the other quietly, but after a few minutes he started to doubt the older wolf's abilities "Are we going the right way?" Derek didn't reply. _He's ignoring me too? _"Hey!" still no response and the pace quickened again.

Derek wasn't paying the teen any attention, completely focused on catching the illusive alpha. It felt so good to run and he wasn't sure if he should actually catch Scott, but his instincts demanded he catch his prey and he sped up again. The next thing he knew, there was a weight wrapped around his torso and he was sliding face first through the dirt.

Isaac barely had time to get up before the man swung on him. He dodged clumsily and jumped back.

"And that was for?" Derek stood up and dusted himself off, taking deep breaths to ease his growing anger as he stared dully at the teen. _I need to take a shower._

"You weren't listening to me" Isaac replied in a less calm voice "I think we're going the wrong way" the other didn't respond and turned to continue his run. "Hey, I'm try-"

"If you think I'm doing a poor job, than you track him" Derek threw over his shoulder, shutting the teen up. Sure Isaac was a quick leaner and picked up on the werewolf speed faster than the others, but he had no idea how to track anything. Derek caught the hesitation in his eyes "You don't know-"

"Of course I do!" he yelled defensively and flinched at the obvious lie._ Really Isaac, he can smell and feel a lie._

Derek didn't call him on it, but Isaac could see the ghost of a smile on his face before he turned away "Sure, you can try later" he started walking.

Isaac growled at him. He wasn't really sure why he was mad, but knew it had something to do with the older wolf. He charged, ready to tackle the other, but ended up flat on his back a yard or so away from his target.

Derek glanced down at him with mild distain "You only get one freebee" he didn't want to do this right now; he wanted to continue the chase.

Isaac rose into a crouch, growling at the man "I don't need a freebee" he charged and found himself flat on his stomach before he even registered the other move. _Ok, maybe this wasn't__ such__ a good idea. _He pushed himself up, but was flattened on the ground with a weight resting on his back.

Derek put more weight on the teen to stop any squirming as he leaned down to whisper in his ear "Maybe next time"

Isaac could feel Derek's heart pounding and his own sped up to match, adrenaline shooting through him as he tried to rise again and failing. He could feel the older wolf's emotions moving openly through their bond and wrapped around them, exchanging joy and excitement for discomfort and irritation.

Derek hadn't noticed opening up until the teen's emotion were painfully clear. He pulled back both mentally and physically-earning more growls from the wolf-but didn't get far before being tackled to the ground._ Definitely going to need a shower. _Derek spit out some dirt and turned his head to see his attacker. Boyd sat on top of him looking a little smug. "Why is everyone attacking me?"

"Because" Boyd's smile grew larger "You're the new meat" Derek wanted to growl, but instead gasped and tried to squirm away from the strange pressure on his side.

"Gotcha!" Erica smiled at the glaring man "What's the matter big guy, ticklish?"

Derek only growled at her. He could still smell fear radiating from her, but he wasn't going to put up with this to get even. He pushed up with all his strength, throwing Boyd into her before standing up only to end up flat on his stomach again.

Isaac smiled triumphantly at the growling wolf "This is great" he leaned down a bit "Now, let's see how tough you are" he attacked the other's sides mercilessly and enjoyed as he squirmed about.

Derek nearly threw him off when the other betas came to his aid, holding him down as they continued their assault. His growls came out choked as he struggled to stop his laughter._ Just wait until I get up. _He began plotting, forgetting about his previous goal.

Needless to say, Stiles was bored. His best friend was off being a crazy werewolf and left him to himself on a Saturday. Come on Stiles, you don't need him. He turned on his computer for the third time in an hour and waited for it to boot up, trying to come up with what exactly what he'll do once it's on instead of just turning it off again._ More research maybe._

"Stiles, I'm heading out!" the Sherriff yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Ok!" Stiles yelled back as he began searching supernatural things on Google. He was startled from his search by a loud bang and jerked his head over to his window. _Not another bird. _He wished it was when he saw long jagged cuts in his window.

The Sherriff was just about to start his car when his son came bursting through the front door looking somewhere between excited and terrified._ What now?_

Stiles looked up towards his room before stiffly jogging to his dad's car and plopping down in the passenger seat. "Hi Dad-"

"What are you doing?" he glowered at his son.

Stiles looked taken aback by his bluntness "Well, I thought I'd go to work with you. Do some quality bonding"

He didn't buy it "You couldn't think of anything better to do with your Saturday?"

"Or Sunday" Stiles added with what he hoped was an innocent smile.

The Sherriff stared a bit before sighing "Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but you've got to talk to him eventually" Stiles looked confused "You and Scott have been friends for years. Don't let some little argument ruin that"

_If only it was that simple. _He nodded and turned away to look out the window.

_I don't have time for this. _"Stiles-" he didn't get to finish when the radio buzzed to life. They both listened intently-though Stiles pretended not to be-and stiffened at the news they were hearing. _Another body?_ He glanced over at his son who was still feigning ignorance and started the car. _Not like I've never dragged him with me before._

Stiles was grateful that his dad didn't kick him out the car, he didn't want to stay home and meet the thing that scratched his window. _Paying visits after a murder now Scott? _He didn't really have any proof that his friend was the one killing people, but everything pointed to him or one of his wolf pack. _Are you murdering too, Derek?_

Stiles leaned against the window in deep thought. He went over everything that had happened up to this point and couldn't understand it. _Why is he still going to school? What are you up to Scott?_ He absently read a street sign and did a double take to make sure he read it right. "Dad"

"Yeah?"

"You're going the wrong way"

He Sherriff looked around "No, it's this way" Stiles turned to face him skeptically, but his dad cut him off "There was another call-"

"Another body?!" Stiles practically jumped out of his seat, strangling himself with the seatbelt until he was sitting back in his seat.

The Sherriff sighed again at his son's behavior, but didn't comment. It didn't take them long to reach the crime scene, but the sun had begun to set and emergency lights colored the darkening sky. Stiles was hopping out the car before it had come to a full spot and ran towards the crime scene, ignoring his father's yells. He quickly weaved around the emergency crews until he could see the source of the commotion. _Oh god._

Paramedics swarmed around a small body, but weren't using any of their equipment or even touching the person. Stiles shifted to a better angle and gagged at the site. He looked away, trying to compose himself before looking again, but it didn't help. Stiles could barely handle the site, but the smell was just as overwhelming. He fought the urge to purge whatever was in in his stomach. _What did I eat today?_ He swayed forward and glanced at the body again before everything went black.

Isaac moaned as he woke up. He opened his eyes and smiled, snuggling closer to the warm body. Once Derek had gotten free of their initial _attack_, he laid into the three until their _fight_ turned into a four way wrestling match. Scott eventually appeared to break them apart and drag everyone home, but the betas were too tired to do more and passed out in the living room. Isaac was resting comfortably on Derek's chest, the older wolf's arm wrapped around his back, fingers entwined with Boyd's; the larger teen curled around him. Erica's face was inches from his as she rested on the opposite side of Derek, her hand clasped with his own. _Good thing I didn't want to get up._

Isaac stretched his legs and laid back against the older wolf's chest, closing his eyes and letting the bond lull him back to sleep, but it jolted him awake. He wasn't expecting to feel _everyone _entwined in the bond and it was….perfect. He reached out specifically to Derek and purred when the older wolf wrapped around him in turn.

"Nice, isn't it?" Isaac's head shot up to see a grinning alpha leaning over the couch. "When he doesn't fight it" he nodded and laid back down, but Scott threw a pillow at his head. "No, get up"

Isaac flung the pillow away with a muted growl "Why? Another outing?"

"No, school" he held back a smirk from the beta's reaction as he began waking the other teens.

Isaac just stared at him "…today's Sunday"

"Wrong. Yesterday was Sunday" He moved onto Erica once Boyd was awake enough to sit up.

"…wha?" he couldn't wrap his mind around those words. "We wrestled in the woods yesterday"

"Saturday" Scott corrected off handedly. Once Erica was up he crouched next to Derek, smiling fondly at his first beta "Think, what's the last thing you remember? Why are you _so_ tired?"

Isaac blinked at him tiredly, but did as he was told. He remembered wrestling with the other betas, but it was different. He wasn't wrestling with Derek, the older wolf stood off to the side as he fought with… "You" he looked up at the alpha and glared "You beat the-"

"Yeah, pretty much. Now get up or you won't get to have any breakfast before we leave" he rose to his feet and left the room, the others followed.

Isaac groaned, pushing himself to his feet and chasing after the others with a painful limp. _I just wanted to sleep._

Lydia took her time today, not really feeling up to an _exciting _day of school after the night she had. _It was a dream. Just a stupid dream._ She kept repeating her mantra, but it didn't help. She was jumpy and paranoid, barely able to focus on her classes when she noticed things that shouldn't be there. She jumped again when Allison sat next to her and only then did she realize that it was lunch time. _A few more classes. Just a little longer and I can go home._

"You okay Lydia?" Allison had noticed her friend's timid behavior and-she had to admit-took it as a blessing, but gradually became concerned when the act continued.

Lydia nodded "Yes, why?"

"You seem a little…" she tried to think of a nice way to phrase it "…off today"

Lydia smiled in her usual way and absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair "Nope, I'm fine" she could tell her friend didn't buy that "Just a little tired….and confused about them" she gestured a bit before moving her attention to her food.

Allison followed her motion to the wolf table and frowned. She could tell from here that they were engaged in some kind of debate, most of them smiling and gesturing with their forks. _At least someone's having fun._ She zeroed in on Scott and felt her heart tie in knots at the beaming smile on his face. _That has nothing to do with me. _Lydia was grateful when her friend focused on the other table, she didn't want to answer any more questions-_not that she really was _-as she focused on calming down.

Jackson found himself at a loss. He had grown used to sitting at the edge of the table and eating quietly with its other occupants, even the chatter box Stiles had fallen into this routine, but today was different. The wolves were rowdy from the second they entered the lunch room and it only seemed to grow when they sat.

"How did you forget an entire day?!" Erica exclaimed in shock, staring in disbelief at the beta across from her.

Isaac finished his mouthful and shrugged "I swear today is Sunday!"

"It's not" the others corrected and Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, the last thing I remember is wrestling in the woods"

"Very specific" Scott muttered good-naturedly and received an elbow to his side.

Boyd ignore the gest "We were out there for two days Isaac"

Isaac nearly lost his mouthful in surprise "Really?!"

A nod "We wrestled with Derek until we passed out"

No one noticed Stiles perk up, no one but Scott. The two made eye contact, but the alpha quickly dismissed him for his food.

"Remember we woke up in a cave? Scott brought us food-"

"-And then we started training" he finished for her and then glared at the teen next to him "Did you really have to beat us _that _bad?!"

"Actually yes" Scott swallowed his mouthful "I needed to know what you were capable of before we started doing any serious training" he took another bite, ignoring the surprised stares.

"So, how'd we do?" everyone leaned in, even the two humans.

Scott shrugged "Horrible" he took a punch to the shoulder, but didn't let it phase him "Going to need a lot of work" he took another bite as they groaned and slumped against the table.

Stiles couldn't help but smile at the scene before him, but he quickly stopped when he caught the alpha looking at him. It was the same as the looks he'd given him before, but it was still enough to make him squirm in his seat. The bell rang and Stiles shot up and out of the room to avoid any _private chats_ his friend may want to have.

Allison saw him coming and waited just outside the door "Had another talk with Scott?"

Stiles stopped next to her, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep from flailing them around "No, what makes you think that?"

"You look terrified"

_Damn it._ He shrugged to hide some of his discomfort "Nope, just the usual psychotic Scott" she nodded in acceptance-or understanding-and resumed walking. Stiles followed behind her as he pulled out his phone. The screen lit up and he paled at the few words that appeared on the screen.

Scott: We need to talk. My house after school.

He shoved it back in his pocket and started taking deep breaths, calming himself down somewhat. He didn't want Allison to see him and ask why. _She doesn't need to worry about this too. Not really how I pictured my last day._ He laughed humorlessly, turning into his class and plopping in his usual seat. He watched the door as the swarm passed by-slowly dispersing in several directions-talking and laughing as they went. _Lucky bastards._ Finally Scott passed by and even though he didn't stop, it felt like time had as their eyes connected before he was gone. The bell rang again and Stile slammed his head down on the desk.

Chris sat in the living room sipping his coffee and holding the newspaper open to the main story, but he wasn't reading it. He had been going over his options every chance he could get. _Two bodies, a new pack of wolves. How else can I look at it?_ He nodded to his wife as she sat down across from him, but he couldn't return to his thoughts.

"Gerard went out a little while ago" he raised an eyebrow in question "He should be gone for most of the day"

"And what do you want me to do?"

"_We_ need to find those wolves and confront Scott" he jolted a bit, but the look on her face let him know she was serious.

"He'll kill us-"

"He's had plenty of time to do that" Victoria interrupted and rose from her seat "At this point in the game, I'd say it's appropriate for a hail-Mary play" She walked away, not giving him a chance to respond.

Chris was speechless. Sure, he could understand her point, but if anything he didn't want her to be there with him committing the insane. _The__ situation's gotten this bad?_He heard a few steps and looked up to see his daughter leaning against the door frame, determination burning in her eyes.

"I'm going" _And it just got worse._

Stiles pulled up in front of Scott's house and turned off his car, but he didn't get out. He stared at the once welcoming house that he spent so many hours in. _Maybe I can just go home, say I forgot. _His phone buzzed and he looked down to see the message.

Scott: Come in Stiles. I know you're out there.

_So much for that plan. _He sighed and hopped out his car. He found Scott in the kitchen focused on whatever book was in front of him and glance around as calmly as he could.

"They're not here Stiles" he flipped another page "I sent them out with Derek to train a little while ago"

Stiles relaxed a bit, but refused to let his guard down "So he did join your pack"

"I told you that already" another page

_Could he at least look at me! _"No, you said he wasn't dead"

"And what else would I possibly mean?"

_Touché. _Stiles didn't respond and watched his friend flip through page after page.

A few minutes later and Scott shut his book with a sigh "You don't have to be on guard Stiles. I'm not going to hurt you"

"That's what I thought before you threatened to rip my throat out" he countered.

Scott didn't even blink at the hostility and gestured to the chair across from him "I just want to talk"

_I wanted to talk to you four days ago! _He sat down and continued to glare.

Scott-to Stiles surprise-fidgeted a bit under his glare before settling back down "I'm sorry" Stiles gawked at him, but he ignored it "I've been acting...different recently-"

"That's an understatement" he blurted out more from shock than anger "Are you sorry for ignoring me or threatening to kill me?"

"Just in general" that angered Stiles even more, but Scott didn't care "I told you in the locker room that I would come to you when it was time, but you kept pestering me"

Stiles threw his hands in the air, his face turning red in suppressed rage "Well, forgive me for worrying about my friend who turned into a freaking alpha and went nuts!"

Scott sighed again and put his hands up in surrender "Ok, I'm sorry, but that's not I wanted to talk to you about"

"I think this is a great topic!" Stiles didn't really care what they talked about at this point, as long as he could yell at his friend and relieve his pent up stress.

Scott just shrugged and leaned back in his chair "Fine, then I won't tell you what I've been doing"

"Training you pack to attack anyone _you _deem a _threat_" he spat, but didn't continue his rant. Scott-once again-was unfazed by his comment and smirked. _Bastard._

Derek blocked another kick "I don't think this is what Scott had in mind when he sent us out here"

"You…sure?" Isaac huffed out between attacks. He barely waited a second once they were out here before attacking the older wolf. It was just so much fun.

Derek wasn't too happy about it. He had barely woken up when Scott sent him off to train with the new wolves the second he arrived home, saying he would join once he finished studying. He wasn't given a choice and the next thing he knew they were out in the woods with Isaac trying to pin him. _Teenagers._ Derek saw the punch coming and grabbed his fist, twisting the boy's arm behind before throwing him into a tree "Pretty sure" he watched the teen slump against the ground with a groan before turning to the others "Anyone else want to try?"

"Um…no, I think we're good" Erica smiled disarmingly while Boyd just shook his head.

Derek glanced over to make sure Isaac wasn't going to attack again, but the teen just sat leaning against the tree "Great, so we can start the lesson"

"You'll have to wait a little longer" Derek tensed up a bit and the teen's moved to surround him as Chris walked towards them with his wife and daughter on either side of him. "Hello Derek, good to see you in one piece" he was met with growls.

Victoria noticed her husband slip his hand innocently into his jacket-where his pistol was holstered-and stepped up to his side "Sorry for interrupting, but we just wanted to talk-"

"There's nothing to talk about" Erica spat, her eyes flashed yellow while the others growled behind her. Derek just looked away. He wasn't sure why, but just seeing the Argents set something off in him.

_I'm coming._

He nodded to the voice in his head as he closed his eyes and focused on breathing, but their scent was overwhelming. He could feel his fangs lengthening and an unrelenting need to shed blood.

Allison watched quietly as her parents tried to reason with the wolves. She was relieved that Scott hadn't killed Derek-though he was absolutely filthy-but something was off about him. The other wolves surrounded him and refused to listen to anything her parents said, but Derek wasn't paying attention. He actually looked like he was in some kind of pain. "Derek?" he glanced at her and for a brief second, she saw his glowing blue eyes before he shut them again.

The growling picked up again and Chris stepped in front of his daughter, side arm drawn "This isn't getting us anywhere. We just wanted to talk to Derek"

"Why?" everyone turned to see Scott walking into the clearing "To ask him about me? What I've been up to? What I'm planning" he stopped a few feet away from the hunters and they backed up in turn. "Why don't you ask me instead"

Stiles slammed into another tree, but didn't stop running. One moment he's having a civil conversation with his friend and the next moment Scott's running out the door at supernatural speed with a vague comment about the woods, leaving him to catch up. _Damn wolves. _He was relieved to find the clearing and stopped by a tree to catch his breath "You know…next time…you run off, give me…a better hint" there was no reply to his comment and no one really paid him any mind.

"Ok, you feel like talking? Tell us why you've been killing people" Chris grit out. He just wanted answered so he could leave before the situation got any more out of hand.

Scott tilted his head "Killings?" his dull tone sent chills up the hunters' spines.

"Yes" Chris tightened his grip on the pistol "Thursday, someone was torn to shreds in the woods. Saturday-"

"I saw that one!" Stiles spoke up, earning the hunters' attention "The boy…" he trailed off at the unwelcomed memory. _Keep it together Stiles._

"No" Victoria turned to her husband "You didn't say anything about a boy"

"Because that's not the body we found" he murmured back.

"And what body would that be?" the pair jumped at the demonic voice followed by a steady growl. The hunters moved back and were met with growls all around them as the pack closed in.

"Scott, no!" Stiles ran up to his friend side and grabbed his shoulder to gain his attention. Scott glared at him with pure black eyes and pushed him over to the hunters. Stiles landed in front of the trio and stared wide eyed at his friend. _He's going to kill us. They're going to tear us to shreds._ He couldn't handle the sinister look his friend was giving him and looked away where he saw Derek standing away from everyone. "Derek!" the wolf glanced at him with a mix of confusion and pain. "Do something Derek!"

Derek was hoping that Scott would make this feeling go away, but it only intensified. He snapped out of his daze to see the other betas closing in on the hunters…and Stiles. _When did he get here?_

"Derek!" Allison yelled this time, hoping for some way out of this situation_. This can't be happening._

_Scott?_ Derek moved to stand behind his alpha, but the teen ignored him. The others stopped their approach to watch the two, but Derek ignored them. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around his alpha-earning a growl-and buried his face against his neck. _Scott? _He felt the pulling in his mind again and buried his face further, focusing on the teens scent.

The humans watched as Scott visibly relaxed, his features returning to their natural state. The other wolves moved to their alpha's side and the hunters relaxed, though Chris kept the death grip on his pistol. A moment later, Derek pulled away, but Scott held onto his arms to continue the hug.

"Sorry about that" he smiled sheepishly, shocking all the humans "What were we talking about?"

The hunters were still in shock, so Stiles answered "Um, I believe they were accusing you of murder"

Scott's smile fell "Oh, that. I didn't kill anyone"


	7. Chapter 7

Ok! finally found a divider that doesn't disappear when I save the copy! P for present, 9 for past. Enjoy and drop me a review after, please!

* * *

"What do you mean, you didn't kill them?!"

Scott shrugged as best he could with Derek wrapped around him "Just what I said. I've been too busy to go out and randomly kill people in the woods"

"So everything you've been doing was planned, even the night you became an alpha?" he didn't answer. "Do you even remember what happened that night?"

"No, does that make you feel better?" there was a hint of irritation in his voice, but he otherwise remained relaxed.

"No, it just means that you can't deny doing it" Chris said as unthreatening as he could. Scott wasn't fazed, but the betas behind him glared.

"I didn't kill anyone. I would at least notice the smell of blood around me"

"Maybe" Chris stared into the alpha's eyes and could see the genuine honesty, but that wasn't enough to prove his innocence. His instincts were never wrong. _But they didn't scream Scott. They screamed wolf._

"Then maybe one of your betas...during the full moon?" Victoria asked as gently as she could, but still received growls from the wolf pack.

"No" Scott gripped the arms around him a little tighter and Derek in turn tightened his hug. "They were chasing Derek as soon as we got out of school" the humans looked at the older wolf for confirmation and he nodded.

Stiles thought this was a good time to cut in "That's great, everyone has an alibi-"

"Not everyone" Chis kept his attention on the alpha who was now glaring at him. Victoria brushed against his side, telling him to relax. No reason to come off as threatening. _And get us killed._

Stiles-having missed all of this-continued his argument "You know, there are other non-supernatural animals running around. Maybe it was a bea-"

"It wasn't" Chris cut him off, finally relaxing enough to put his pistol away. "No human or regular animal is capable of...that level of destruction"

"So that means I did it" Scott growled "Or one of my pack"

Chris stiffened, but otherwise did not react to the hostility "It's the only reasonable explanation" the growling increased until Derek buried his face in the alpha's shoulder, murmuring something the humans couldn't hear.

Scott sighed "And what about these deaths makes me the culprit?"

"The first was torn into pieces" he felt his daughter tense at his side and watched Stiles and the teen betas pale, but Scott wasn't fazed "The second was intact, but missing large chunks out of...the meatier parts of the body"

Scott remained unfazed "And the third?" Chris shook his head and gestured behind him.

Stiles was trying very hard not to throw up. He hadn't personally seen these bodies, but he could picture the state they were in a little too vividly for his taste. _Nothing like the boy._ He gagged at the memory.

"Stiles?" he looked up at Scott and noticed that everyone had turned to face him. "What happened to the third body?"

PPPPP

That was a week ago and Stiles wasn't handling his _down time_ very well. _Just sit and wait. Whose bright idea was that?_ He fidgeted in his seat, trying to focus on the text the teacher had assigned the class. A quick glance let him know that the wolves were handling this way better than he was as they sat perfectly calm, though Erica was chewing on her pencil, but that probably had more to do with the test next period that she forgot to study for than the pending doom hanging over their heads. Stiles had learned a lot about the pack once they started acknowledging him as more than a nuisance...well, less of a nuisance. He was even allowed back in the McCall household now that Scott deemed him _ready._ _What did Jackson call it? Baby steps._

Stiles glanced over at his other friend-Allison-who had isolated herself in the corner of the room amongst the regular students. She'd been keeping her distance, but still snuck glances at them every now and then. Like now, she glanced up and locked eyes with him for a brief moment before going back to her work. _Wonder how she's handling this._

_99999_

"…there's another alpha" Allison didn't want to hear that. Sure, she didn't want her...ex to be the murderer, but she didn't want to deal with another alpha so soon.

"Great, like I didn't have enough trouble with Peter" Scott grumbled.

"Scott" he looked up at Victoria "I want you to know that we have no intentions of hurting you or your pack. We have a code-"

"So did Kate. Didn't really stop her" he scoffed and Derek growled behind him.

"No, she didn't" Chris interjected, trying to keep the conversation from straying into dangerous territory. "She gave up the code so she could kill whoever she wanted. We haven't"

"And how long until you do?"

"We won't" Victoria shook her head "As long as you don't kill anyone, an innocent. We will have no reason to hunt you" she allowed herself to relax a bit when the hostility visibly drained from the wolves.

Scott wasn't sure how he should feel. She wasn't lying about their intentions, but he couldn't bring himself to completely believe her. He nodded anyway, accepting the _terms_ "You stay away from us and I'll stay away from you" the last part came out as a growl that jolted the hunters a bit, but they nodded in agreement before turning to leave.

"Wait!" Allison cut in now gaining everyone attention. She slipped passed her parents despite their warning and walked over to Scott. She didn't get far before the growls of the pack made her stop and she stared at the tensed alpha "I don't want to stay away from you Scott" the growls died down a bit, but picked up again when she resumed her approach "After everything that's happened-"

"STOP!" Scott yelled at her and she stopped. Derek moved to stand between the two, but his attention was completely focused on Scott. She waited patiently for whatever was going to happen, doing her best to remain _calm and collected_ and keep her fear at bay.

Finally Scott moved from behind the beta, his grip tight on the other's arm and his eyes a dull red "Allison, you have to honor this..._truce"_ she shook her head and tried to move closer, but Derek growled at her _"_You have to stay away from me" with that he turned away and began trekking through the woods, his pack following close behind. She could only watch them go, watch _him_ go as her eyes began to burn with unshed tears. She vaguely felt her mom wrap her in a hug and direct her away, but all she could think about were Scott's parting words.

PPPPP

Stiles looked at her a little longer before turning back to his book. _She'll be ok._ Even as he thought it, he worried for her and his best friend.

99999

The pack didn't make it very far before Stiles caught up and began pestering Scott about this and that. Not even five minutes in, he had thoroughly annoyed them all and convinced Scott and Derek to come with him so he'd shut up. The other betas weren't happy about being left out, but Scott shrugged it off and sent them home. Stiles quickly led the pair to his jeep and sped into town.

"Where are you taking us anyway?" Scott questioned as he watched the scenery zoom by. _How fast is he going?_

_Somewhere around 90._

Scott glanced at the beta next to him with a raised eyebrow._ And you know that how?_

Derek shrugged, _I'm used to it._

Scott stared a little longer before returning his gaze to the window "Maybe you should slow down"

Stiles ignored the comment as he glared at the pair through his rear view mirror. He knew Scott hadn't told him everything-especially since he ran out the house-and the silent interaction he witnessed proved it. They never liked Derek before-Stiles hated him-but the wolves were acting like they were brothers. _Maybe it's a pack thing...but then Scott wouldn't have been able to fight Peter._

"Stiles!" he was jolted from his thoughts and realized that he was parked at their destination. "Why are we here?"

"To get answers" he glanced over his shoulder at an annoyed Derek, but Scott looked more skeptical.

"At the vet?"

He shrugged "We know that he knows about the supernatural, let's see how much" the wolves glanced at each other, sharing another silent conversation. Stiles was tired of being left out and slammed his hand against his steering wheel, accidentally hitting the horn and scaring the three of them "It's not like either of you had a better plan!" he yelled before hopping out the jeep and stomping towards the building. The vet was already waiting in the front room, the horn having alerted him to guests.

"Hey Mr. Deaton" Scott greeted politely with a sheepish grin.

Deaton smiled back "Hello Scott, good to see that you're doing ok" he nodded to Stiles in greeting and looked at the other wolf "Derek" he nodded in return. "What can I do for you boys?"

"Actually" Stiles stepped forward and the vet gave him his full attention "I was hoping you could explain something to me" Derek huffed quietly behind him, earning a light elbow to his side.

_Quit it._

Derek glanced at the alpha un-amused. _What is he supposed to tell us that we don't already know?_

Scott shrugged; _I don't know, but he might know something. He did save me from the wolfbane bullets. _Derek growled a bit, but didn't respond.

Deaton watched their interaction carefully while he listened to the boy in front of him "Of course. What would you like to talk about?"

Stiles gestured behind him at the wolves "Pack mentality" he could tell that another _private _conversation had taken place, but tried to ignore it and his growing ire to focus on the vet.

Deaton's smile faltered, but he still held one as he gestured for everyone to go to the back. He made sure the front door was locked and sign turned to show closed before joining them. "Anywhere particular you want to start?" he watched Stiles sway uncomfortably on his feet and turned to the wolves "Scott?"

Scott copied his friend's motion "Well…uh…" he looked away.

Derek grunted at the others' actions a bit annoyed "Scott killed my uncle and became an alpha" the teens looked at him in horror, but he ignored them.

"I see..." Deaton nodded, his smile completely gone now. The news didn't really surprise him since he had already known these things, but he wasn't going to let them know that. "How do you feel Scott?"

"...I feel fine"

Deaton looked at him skeptically "Really? No, headaches, unexplained hostility?"

"Murderous intent?" Stiles mumbled, but everyone heard him and Scott glared.

Deaton ignored the comment "This is important Scott-"

"I'm fine, really. Everything's been ok since..." he trailed off, glancing at his beta.

"Since I joined the pack" Derek finished, making eye contact with the teen before they both focused on the doctor.

Stiles scoffed "Don't you think that's a bit much?" he pushed as much of his ire into his words as he could. "You join the pack and Scott's magically ok again" Derek glared at him and Scott stared disapprovingly, but neither had the chance to comment.

"Magically, no, but it's not unheard of" the three turned to face the vet and Stiles gawked at him. "Some alphas need a certain amount of wolves in their pack to keep them…balanced

Stiles shook his head "You haven't seen these two. Scott was psychotic, Derek refused to join his pack" he turned and pointed at the older wolf "You said you'd rather DIE than join his pack" Derek shrugged and Scott growled lightly, but Stiles ignored them and turned to face the doctor again "He gets caught and the next time I see them, they're acting like they've lived together all their lives!"

"Psychotic?"

Stiles flinched. _Did I say that...yup, damn. _He glanced back at his friend with a sheepish grin "Well…you were" Deaton watched quietly, going over what he was just told and it only lead to more questions. "Scott, tell me about your bond with Derek"

Scott reluctantly looked at the doctor again. He was enjoying making his friend sweat, but that's not what they came here for "…It's like…he's a part of me"

At this, Stiles shut up to listen and Deaton raised an eyebrow in question "A part of you?"

"Yeah" he wanted to stop there, but he could tell that the humans weren't getting it. _How would you phrase it?_

_I don't know. Tell them about the mind stretching headache thing._

Scott glanced at the beta a second before returning his attention to the vet. _Thanks, but I'll leave that part out._ "I can feel his emotions like they were mine and…hear some of his thoughts"

"You can what?!" Stiles-to the wolves dismay-shrieked "Werewolves can do that?!"

"Stiles-"

"When did this start?! When were you going to tell me?! How could you NOT tell me this-"

"I DIDN'T WANT TO TELL YOU!" Scott roared, silencing his friend "It's not really something I want everyone to know about!"

"That's good" Deaton added calmly, regaining everyone's attention "Try not to tell anyone else about it" the wolves looked at him in question and he shook his head "The fewer that know, the better"

"Why?" Stiles couldn't take this anymore, he just wanted answers. "What's so important about this that it needs to stay a secret?'

"Everything" he could tell that Stiles wasn't following and from the look the wolves were giving him, neither were they. "Scott, is Derek the first wolf you tried to _connect_ to?"

"No" he felt Stiles glaring at him, but ignored it "I tried with all my betas when I first turned them, but I couldn't...connect"

_Guess you weren't going to tell me that either. _"But you could with Derek" he nodded "You didn't turn Derek. He didn't even willingly join your pack!"

"But, he was technically the first wolf Scott met" Deaton cut in, keeping the conversation on track. "Teenagers were never meant to be alpha's. That kind of power coupled with their increased hormones throws off their psych"

"We know that part" Derek and Stiles said at the same time.

_I didn't._ Derek refused to look at his alpha. He could feel the glare burning the side of his face. _When were you going to tell me this?_

_Eventually_ "What does that have to do with the bond?"

Deaton took his cue to continue "You were the first wolf that Scott connected to, even if you didn't always get along-"

"Wouldn't that be Peter?"

The vet shook his head "Scott didn't want anything to do with Peter. He even willingly killed him"

"Great, so they _bonded_. What does that have to do with this?" Stiles bounced lightly in place, his impatience making itself known.

"Scott's link to Derek is the only thing keeping him sane" he said bluntly. There wasn't anything amusing about what he'd said, but he couldn't help but laugh at the three faces frozen in different stages of shock.

Scott wanted to be mad at his boss for laughing at him, but he still hadn't fully processed what he'd heard. Derek hadn't even heard the sound, lost in his thoughts about _what _was depending on him. Stiles was the first to recover enough to speak "His sanity?! You're telling me that Scott is completely dependent on Derek or he'll lose his mind?!" he began flailing his arms in wild gestures that the Doctor didn't even try to understand "What if something happens to him?! How are they supposed to live with this?! Is there a cure-"

"Stiles, relax" Deaton interrupted, the smile on his face growing "This isn't nearly as bad as you're making it seem. There is no cure for the bond, but Scott will only use it as a crutch until he can mentally support himself" he watched as his answer eased the three, though Stiles didn't stop bouncing in place.

"So, until that happens, I'm his life line?" Derek didn't like those words. They brought up too many bad memories and pain, but Scott quickly squashed them with comfort and a step into his personal space.

"Not exactly. He won't die without the bond, but you are helping to keep his instincts in check" a quick glance around the room let him know that they didn't understand "Scott, how are you handling being around people, particularly the Argents?" the teen answered with a growl and looked away.

Stiles watched Scott's reaction before turning to the doctor again with wide eyes "Wait, he's acting like that because of his instincts?"

"They're hunters. It's only natural that he wouldn't want to be around them" Derek stated matter of factly.

Stiles glared at him "That never stopped him before"

"That's because Scott refused to acknowledge his turning" Derek nodded at the vet in agreement.

"But what about me? I mean he did try to kill me when he first lost control, but not like this" Stiles asked quietly, looking at his friend who was still looking away.

"You two share a…human bond and that was enough when he was a beta, but an alpha needs more of a connection with its pack to feel comfortable around them"

"…and his mom?"

Deaton chuckled "Well, it's his Mom" Stile didn't share his amusement, so he went back to the point "Once he's adjusted to his new power, everything will return to normal"

"You mean as normal as a town of werewolves and hunters can get" Stiles added to lighten the mood, but it didn't help his anxiety.

"True, but at least they'll be civil…and clean?" he eyed Derek's filthy clothes in question. Derek growled quietly and elbowed the teen wolf when he laughed.

"What?" Scott asked, letting his mirth show in his smile "It's not my fault you didn't shower"

"Yes it is" Derek growled, shoving the boy again before moving towards the door "You never gave me a chance to. I don't even have a change of clothes at your house"

"Yes you do" Derek stopped and turned to look at him in question "I had the others go and retrieve all your stuff" Scott walked up to the beta, his smile shifting to a devious grin "And then there's your car…" he walked past him and out the room.

_My car! What did you do with it?!_

_Wouldn't you like to know._ Derek growled as he chased after the boy. Stiles ran after them, throwing a quick thanks and goodbye to the doctor as he went.

Deaton raised his hand in goodbye, smiling at the three's antics. He listened to them drive off before his smile fell and he thought about everything they had told him. He liked to believe that this long in his profession had taken the surprise away, but here he was shocked at what had stood before him only minutes ago.

PPPPP

Melissa couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. Sure, she still worried about her son and worked a lot of overtime to pay the bills, but now she always came home to a warm meal waiting for her on the counter. The first day she ignored it, assuming Derek had left a meal out for when he was done with his latest project. This led to an unexpected visit from her son at work dropping off her lunch turned dinner. Now she made sure she thanked the wolf for her food and lengthy remodeling around the house.

The first thing he fixed was the wall in Scott's room, which she expected. She didn't expect the front stairs, squeaky floor and the porch. With the other wolves in school and nowhere to go, Derek had been occupying his time by fixing whatever he could find around the house. Which-she was ashamed to admit-was quite a lot. She was surprised that he had actually stayed at the house instead of returning to wherever he lived before, but she wasn't complaining. _Probably pack mentality and he was a lone wolf. _

Melissa took another bite of food, which was only a simple plate of rice, beans and a steak, but it tasted amazing to someone who had become accustomed to take out and cereal every day. _I have a home chef living with me._ She took another bite and listened as the sound of Derek's upstairs project drifted down to her. _A rich_ _home__ chef and handyman._ She gave a quick prayer of thanks to god for her good fortune before she noticed more food sitting on the stove. "Derek?"

She didn't even raise her voice, but the noise stopped and she heard feet shuffle towards the stairs. _Enhanced hearing must be great._ Derek walked down four steps before squatting so he could see her in the kitchen. "Is that your food on the stove?" he nodded. "Why don't you come down and eat?"

"I wanted to finish up here first" he glanced back up the stairs, thinking about his plans before focusing on her again.

Melisa translated that as giving her enough time to finish and leave before he came down. _Still not big on socializing. Need to work on that. _She put on her best smile "But your food will get cold. Your...project will still be there when you finish eating"

Derek shrugged "I can reheat it"

_Stubborn little-_"Derek, come eat" she glared, daring him to defy her again. The battle barely lasted a minute before Derek sighed and went back up the stairs. Melissa smiled and returned to her meal, waiting for him to come back down and join her. She didn't even get to take a bite before the doorbell rang. _And there goes the perfect moment._ She rose from her seat and went to answer the door, hoping to get it over with fast and return to her meal before Derek came back down.

The bell rang again as she opened the door "Hello?" she wanted to sound irritated, but the young man's smile dissolved that.

He kept smiling and leaned towards her through the door frame "My, you have a very nice house. Getting it fixed up to sell?"

Melissa backed up a bit to hold eye contact and he stepped inside "Is there something I can help you with Mr…?" movement caught her eye and she looked passed him to see others she didn't recognize coming in.

"My names Jourdan Taylor" His hazel eyes swept around the room before they focused on her again with a sheepish smile "And no, you can't help me. I just need to leave a message"

"What kind of-"

"Melissa!" she jolted when Derek yelled her name as he jumped down the flight of stairs, landing in a crouch and ready to fight "Get away from him!" she didn't move as his wolf features appeared, unaware of the glowing eyes behind her.

99999

"That's a horrible plan!" Stiles yelled as he followed the wolves into Scott's house.

Scott bit his lip to stop a growl. He'd been around Stiles almost all his life. This was how he reacted to stressful situations. _Deep breaths, count to 10._

_Better make that 50._

He glared at the beta. _Not helping_ "We don't have a choice Stiles-"

"Of course we do!" Stiles interrupted, following his friend into the kitchen while Derek went upstairs. "We should be out there searching for that pack-"

"We don't even know where they are or if it's a _they_ that we're looking for" Scott yelled, slamming his hand down on the counter a little too hard. Stiles shuffled back into the wall and he sighed "Look, all we know is that there's an alpha running around killing people and from the body you found, turning people"

"_Trying_ to turn people" Stiles corrected "I know that it's not a 100% chance of success, but I didn't think that failure would look so-"

"We'll stop them" the teens turned to face Derek standing in the doorway with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

Scott turned to face him completely "Derek, where are you going?"

"Home"

Stiles looked at the stern expression on his friend's face before turning to see the determined expression on Derek's and back again "Uh Derek, maybe that's not a good idea"

Derek ignored the teens comment and kept his eyes locked with the alpha "I'll start searching once I drop my stuff off-"

"Upstairs" Scott said it lightly, but the others could tell that it wasn't up for discussion. The staring contest continued and Stiles backed away as quietly as he could.

Derek eventually broke eye contact and began heading for the door "I'll call if I find anything-" he didn't get to finish before he was slammed against the floor with a red eyed alpha sitting on top of him.

"You're not going anywhere" Scott stated calmly, staring down at the beta beneath him with a simmering glare.

Derek huffed in frustration, pushing at the boy above him so he could get up "Scott, we don't have time for thi-" a hand slammed him back into the ground.

Scott leant down closer, growling in his throat "You. Are. Staying. Here" his fangs lengthened and he scraped them lightly against the betas throat. Derek wanted to argue, but his body betrayed him and he submitted.

Stiles peeked his head around the corner when the growling stopped "Ok, now that that's settled, what are we going to do?"

Scott brushed his fangs again before retracting them and lifting up enough to look at his friend, eyes still glowing "We wait"

PPPPP

The wolves behind him were a little too rowdy for his liking, but he couldn't blame them. He was a little giddy himself after their earlier exercise run.

"Well, aren't you a happy bunch" the wolves quieted down, but didn't try to wipe the smiles off their faces as their leader walked up to them. "I trust you delivered the message Jourdan"

He nodded at the alpha, his peaceful smile morphing into a dark smirk "Loud and clear" the man smiled and began walking away, the others quickly following him.

_Ok Melissa breath__e.__ You need to breathe._ Even though she was thinking it, she couldn't bring herself to calm down. There was shattered glass and destroyed furniture all around her, claw marks littered the walls and led clear into the house, but she couldn't focus on that right now. She threw the blood soaked clothe in her hand to the side and grabbed a clean one, pressing it to the spot where the other had been moments before to stop the bleeding, but the life fluid didn't yield. _Come on, you're a nurse! Do something!_ "Derek please, open your eyes. Just…do something" her eyes burned and she blinked, releasing the built up tears onto her face. Derek didn't respond as he laid on the ground with claw marks littering his body and a baseball sized hole in his chest.


	8. Chapter 8

_Ok, so shorter chapter than usual since I'm suffering from writers block and I think this is a good spot to end a chapter...or not. You can judge that. IDK, I've already made you guys wait a monthish, so I guess small is better than nothing. Enjoy!_

* * *

_I need to run more. _Stiles burst into the hospital's emergency wing, trying to keep up with his best friend. The day was going well until the wolves got within a block of Scott's house. He raced passed the main desk, ignoring the receptionist's yelling as he made it to the stairs, taking them two at a time. He followed closely behind the betas since he lost Scott in the winding stairs. _Why can't we just have a normal day, one time?_

_Take deep breaths. Just focus on your breathing._ Melisa kept repeating her mantra while tightening her hold on the larger hand in her two. She could barely recognize the wolf on the bed, wrapped in gauze from head to toe. Derek hadn't so much as twitched when being brought here and hooked up to machinery and IV. _Deep breathes._

The door burst open and slammed into the wall with a bang, shocking Melissa from her thoughts and seat. Scott ignored her reaction and began checking her over for any injuries, finding none. He switched his gaze to the bed and whimpered at the site, plopping into the seat and resuming his mother's position. The betas burst in soon after and crowded around the bed, followed shortly by Stiles.

He froze on the spot and took in the site of the hospital room until his eyes landed on the other human occupant. "You brought him to a hospital?" he flinched at his words. _Way to be sensitive Stiles._

Melissa looked between the teen and the bed, continuing to take deep breathes "I-I didn't know what to do. He wouldn't wake up and there was so much blood-"

Sties threw his hands up in what he hoped was a calming gesture "Ok, makes sense. What happened?"

She shook her head "I don't know. Some people came to visit. Something about a message…" she took another deep breathe, but she could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "Then Derek jumped down the stairs and…the next thing I knew…" she couldn't finish. Her throat tightened and the tears spilled out of her eyes at the memory of what she had seen. She looked at the ground in silence, anything to avoid refreshing the memory.

Stiles wanted to ask her more questions but knew he couldn't, not right now. He turned to the wolves "How's he doing?"

"He's healing" Scott didn't look away from the bed, his red eyes looking over Derek again and again "Probably be unconscious for most of it"

"He can't stay here" Isaac looked over to Stiles "Didn't you say the cops were after him?"

"That was when they thought he was guilty"

"What about the hunters?" Erica cued in, stepping closer to the bed "His innocence won't stop them"

Stiles opened his mouth, ready to defend his friend and her family, but was stopped by a growl from the alpha "No one will touch him" the underlying threat sent shivers up his spine and the issue was dropped.

After a while, Isaac dared to continue "Why isn't he healed now? Does the..." he glanced over at Stiles.

"Alpha effect"

He nodded "Does the Alpha effect last this long?"

"No, but taking a lot of damage at once is going to take time to heal regardless of supernatural advances"

Isaac nodded in understanding even though Scott never looked at him and turned to the others in the room, catching a certain teen clicking away on his phone "What are you doing?"

Stiles didn't look away from the message on his screen "Telling Allison. We need to go af-" it took him a second before he realized his phone was out of his hand and across the room with Erica and he was pissed "What the hell are you doing?!"

"We should be asking you that" Boyd stepped towards him, intimidating the other to take a step back.

Stiles glared anyway, knowing the big guy was the least likely to actually hurt him "Telling Allison-"

"The hunter" Erica hissed, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Stiles ignored her aggression too "We need everyone when we go after this pack. Hunters included"

"We don't need their help to do anything"

Stiles looked at her blankly "Really, because a few of them just put Derek in the hospital and last time I checked, he could beat the three of you without breaking a sweat" and just like that, Boyd switched from intimidating to protective when Erica lunged, teeth out and snapping angrily. Stiles was proud to admit that he barely flinched and it showed in the small smirk on his face.

His joy quickly ended when she started barking her frustration at him and he backed up into the wall. Isaac and Melissa jumped in, trying to calm her down before someone walked in wondering what all the commotion was about. After all, dogs weren't allowed in the hospital.

Scott ignored them entirely, completely focused on the comatose wolf in front of him with a few pointed thoughts going through his mind. He would find who did this and they would pay.

9999

"Why?" Scott locked the front door and turned to face his irate beta. Stiles could probably sense the tension in the air since Derek was forced to submit again and didn't want to be around for the aftermath. "I could be out there looking for the alpha-"

"The plan is to wait"

Derek's glare intensified "That's a horrible plan"

Scott's dull expression took on some amusement "You sound like Stiles"

"He was right...for once" Scott's face went blank again and Derek inwardly sighed. "Why wouldn't you let me leave? I joined the pack already. I'm not going to run away-"

"But you were" Scott's voice deepened with a growl "Running back to that house"

"My house!" Derek growled, automatically taking a defensive stance "My family's house-"

"But they're gone!" Scott stepped towards him, eyes flashing, but unthreateningly "They've been gone for years and you haven't moved on. Now you have a pack and you're still trying to isolate yourself. For what, penance?"

"It was my fault-"

"Did you plan the fire? Help with it?" Derek stayed quiet and Scott took another step forward "If you had known, then you would've done anything you could to stop it"

Derek looked away. He couldn't argue with those words, but he couldn't shake the guilt and pain of his family's death and the house served as a constant reminder.

_You have nothing to repent for._ He snapped out of his thoughts when Scott's hand brushed against his cheek and he looked into the boys eyes as comfort and warmth spread over him. _You don't have to be alone anymore._

Derek just stared at him, letting the other sooth his pain before pulling away with a shrug "So, just waiting?" Scott nodded, bending slightly to grab Derek's duffle bag before heading up the stairs. "Still a bad plan" the comment was light and he clearly wasn't supposed to hear it, but he had and sighed in response.

PPPP

_Deep breaths. Breathe in and release._ Lydia refused to look up from her work as goose bumps racked her body and left her on edge. No matter what she tried, the illusions wouldn't leave her alone and they only grew worse as time went on to the point-_NO! I am NOT going to let this get to me. I'm just really stressed recently with Jackson and planning my birthday party. Everything will be fine in a few days._

"How long are you going to repeat that? It obviously isn't helping" Lydia froze on the spot, squeezing her eyes shut in the process. "Really, you're still planning to ignore me?" she heard soft steps approach her and cursed to herself as a presence stopped at her side, hovering just inside her personal space. "I don't think that's helping either"

"Go away" she hung her head over her desk, letting her hair fall forward and conceal her face.

The presence only drew closer "Sorry, not until we have a real chat-"

"You're not real!" Lydia screamed, gripping her desk as hard as she could. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. It was bad enough that she was seeing things, but now the illusions were talking to her.

A chuckle answered her "Really? Well that's kind of rude" soft fingers brushed her hair out of the way and she shot up straight in her seat at the sensation, eyes popping open to lock with dazzling blue ones. "See, now that wasn't so hard" she scooted away in her chair to get a better look at the handsome boy standing before her, smiling fondly.

"I-I felt that" any other time, Lydia would have verbally abused him for even being in her presence unwanted, let alone in her room, but not now. She could barely focus as it was after the past few weeks.

"Yes, I supposed you would" the teen clasped his hands together, keeping her attention on him as he stepped back into her personal space. "Now, if you're done ignoring me, I have a few things to tell you" his eyes glowed softly and Lydia couldn't bring herself to look away as he began to talk.


End file.
